Batman: Shadows & Secrets
by SorenRayne
Summary: As Batman is plunged into a vast mystery surrounding Arkham Asylum and the return of an old foe, Nightwing is torn between his morals and his heart. Secrets abound as former partners are divided, former lovers are betrayed and revenge is plotted on a grand scale. *Note* This is my first submission to this site.
1. Chapter 1

**Batman**

Shadows & Secrets

Chapter 1

The streets of the city glimmered and gleamed under the fresh glazing of recent rainfall, the shadows and reflections of streetlights playing on the shallow puddles that dotted the sidewalks and back alleyways. Every street seemed to be a sea of car roofs and people, going to and fro along the sidewalks and roadways, each of them completely absorbed in their own sense of immediate purpose. The tracks of the city monorail weaved between the looming spires of buildings, hanging above the streets like the iron skeleton of a massive serpent. The smell of car exhaust, fresh rain and blood permeated the air and hung in the fog, a ghost of this city's unspoken evils. This was not a friendly city. This place was cold, harsh and unforgiving. This city would chew you up and spit you out before you knew what had happened. This was the very definition of a criminal paradise. It was obvious, if you knew where to look. Shady back-alley businessmen carrying guns under their long raincoats, junkies hunched over on the stoops of tenement buildings like street-level gargoyles, waiting like zombies for their next fix. Cops taking hush money from whoever the messenger of the week was. Muggers and thieves picked the pockets of whoever was unfortunate enough to get too close to them.

Gotham City.

Some called Gotham home, while others called it a chunk of Hell, spat forth unto the Earth. Some called it beyond help, too far gone into madness and corruption; some said it was a cause worth fighting for. But there was one lone man who didn't call it anything. One man who didn't care about how far gone it seemed to be. Because he knew that this city belonged to him, and he would never give up, never surrender and never quit on the people of Gotham City.

He sat, perched on a rooftop like a silent, black sentinel. He loomed over the streets of Gotham like a shadow, watching. Waiting. He knew there were those down below, pacing the streets of his city, who didn't even believe he existed. To them, he was a rumor; an urban legend; something invented by the newspapers to scare all the bank robbers and purse snatchers. But the big-time criminals, they knew the truth. They had seen him up close and personal. They knew that he was as real as the pavement beneath their feet. Those of them that believed in him and those that didn't, each knew his name well.

The Batman.

He stood from his crouched position, pulling his glance from the streets below to the skyline off to the south. A brilliant light shone up into the sky, seeming to stop and lie flat against the canopy of gray clouds that seemed to hang eternally over Gotham City. The black outline of a bat sat within the circle of light. Without hesitation, Batman withdrew a grappling hook from his belt and fired it at the concrete edge of an adjacent building, testing the line before pulling himself up off the ground and swinging through the air, gliding over the streets of his city like the creature of the night he was.

Moments later, he felt solid ground beneath his feet again as he landed solidly on the rooftop of Gotham City Police headquarters. He could see the outline of a man standing next to an enormous spotlight. Batman took a brief few seconds to confirm that the man was alone, and then stepped out of the shadows.

"Gordon." He said in a deep, slightly gruff voice.

The other man jumped, turning quickly to face The Batman. He was silent for a moment, then switched off the spotlight.

"You got here quicker than I thought. We've got a bit of a problem." Jim Gordon, commissioner of the police, looked the costumed man up and down as he placed half a cigar in his mouth and lit it. The Batman stood silently, emotionless as Gordon continued. "We had a report of shots fired about forty-five minutes ago over near Gotham University. Two units responded and never returned radio contact. We sent backup, now they've gone dark. Then, about five minutes ago, we got reports from a campus security radio that there's some sort of hostage situation in the science building."

Batman's eyes narrowed and he unconsciously glanced over the skyline near the university.

"Any information as to who's behind it?" He growled, turning his attention back to Gordon.

Gordon shrugged, taking another puff off the cigar. "Campus security never had a clue that anything was wrong until our guys showed up; which tells me it's someone with access to the campus security system. Faculty?"

"Or former faculty." Batman said gravely. "You said it was the science building?"

Gordon nodded. "Yeah. Come to think of it, the radio transmission from campus security said something about a professor."

Batman again looked off toward the campus. "A former science professor breaking into the University and taking hostages?"

"Not exactly." Gordon said, "He wasn't acting alone. Initial radio contact said there were multiple subjects."

"You said you lost radio contact with your men?" The Batman asked, looking back to Gordon.

"Both teams." Gordon replied, walking to the edge of the rooftop and looking off toward the University. "You got any idea as to what you're dealing with?" He turned to look back to the Batman, only to find himself alone on the rooftop. Gordon shrugged and shook his head, tossed his cigar to the ground and smashed it out with his shoe before heading back inside.

Batman found a decent vantage point on the dormitory rooftop and perched, trying to get a good look into the science building. He withdrew a very sophisticated pair of binoculars from his belt and flipped a switch on them before putting them to his eyes.

The display on the binoculars removed the solid wall of the building from his field of vision and displayed the skeletal outline of the men inside. There were six of them on their knees, lined up against the far wall; three more paced the row with handguns drawn while another two were positioned just outside the classroom door. At the rear of the room another single individual was rummaging through cabinets and cupboards, shoving items into some sort of bag. Batman flipped a switch again on the binoculars and the display became more detailed, outlining the man's build, features and wardrobe. A slightly oversized top hat sat atop the man's head.

"Tetch." Batman growled, placing the binoculars back in his belt. Just as he'd suspected. Jervis Tetch was the former science professor at Gotham University, before he had gone insane and began doing neural experiments on his students. Batman had captured him and thrown him into Arkham only three months ago. Apparently, The Mad Hatter was looking to continue his research and perfect his mind-control technology. Unfortunately, this meant that the accomplices that Tetch was working with were most likely Gotham cops under his mind control influence. Batman was going to have to play this one very carefully.

He started by swinging up onto the roof of the adjacent science building and looking for an exterior vent cover. He found it and quietly removed the cover, slipping inside silently. He made his way down the vent as stealthily as he could, until finally arriving at the point he was looking for. He was in the hallway, positioned just outside and above the classroom door. Two armed police officers stood silently beneath him, scanning the hallway for intruders. Batman pulled a small electric drill from his utility belt and attached a screwdriver bit, unscrewing the vent cover, thankful that the electric buzz of the motor inside the device was as quiet as it was. Once he had it free, he pulled it into the vent with him and dropped down onto the tile floor behind the cops, not making a sound as he landed.

Batman used both hands to reach out and pluck the hats from the officer's heads, instantly freeing them from Mad Hatter's control. He then clamped a hand over both their mouths, preventing them from crying out in surprise. When the officers realized it was him, they fell silent. Fear and shock was played clearly on their faces as Batman put a finger to his lips and then pointed out the front door. The officers nodded and walked out of the building as the Dark Knight turned his attention back to the classroom door and what was behind it.

Batman pulled a small round device from his belt and pushed a small blue button on it. The device made a high pitched electronic whir and every light in the building went out at the same time. Batman smiled to himself, feeling quite at home in the pitch darkness. He replaced the device in its proper place and again withdrew his binoculars, activating the night vision setting before silently heading through the door.

The six hostages were still lined up against the wall and the three police officers were trying desperately to see through the inky darkness, their guns aimed at nothing. Tetch was still in the back room, standing as still as a statue and, more than likely, trying to hear any noises from the other room. Batman took quick stock of the situation and went to work.

He started with the nearest police officer, clamping a hand around his mouth and firmly grabbing hold of the nerve cluster just below the jugular vein. He felt the cop go limp, unconscious. Batman removed the hat from his head and tossed it aside, moving on to the next officer and successfully repeating his technique. The third cop was pacing the length of the room, turning to the left, then the right. Batman circled him three times before he could get behind him and close enough to snatch the hat from his head. The cop gasped loudly and whirled around; trying to see what could not be seen. Tetch's control over him was gone, so Batman left him alone as he turned toward the back room. The loud crash of a window breaking rang out through the darkness and it made the Dark Knight stop for an instant. Tetch was getting away.

"No." Batman growled, picking up his pace as he broke through the door and ran to the window in time to see Tetch sprinting across the football field behind the university. Batman didn't hesitate to leap from the window in pursuit. Broken glass tore at his arms and legs as he jumped through and he felt little tinges of pain, but paid them no attention. As soon as he hit the ground, Batman reached behind him and pulled a very special item from the small of his back.

It resembled a sawed-off shotgun, but with three barrels and much more high tech. Batman hit a blue button on the side of the grip and the barrel of the gun rotated automatically, the end of the proper barrel lighting up with a blue LED light as it locked into place. Batman pumped the device once, locking in the pressure needed to fire.

The pursuit continued into the street as Batman gained ground on the Mad Hatter. Tetch looked behind him, apparently not intimidated by the threat that the Dark Knight presented. When he saw nothing there, he let himself smirk. He had gotten away after all. Just as he turned to look in front of him again, he heard what sounded like a suppressed gunshot and suddenly he felt a sharp sting in his right ankle, then he found himself unable to move his feet at all. He fell face first onto the pavement, smashing his nose as his signature top hat tumbled off his head and rolled a few feet down the street. Tetch looked down to his feet and found a bat-shaped wire snare wrapped firmly around his ankles, then looked up to watch a large black boot come rushing down out of the shadows of the adjacent alleyway, crushing his beloved hat.

"It's over, Tetch. You lose." Batman stood triumphantly over the prone body of the Mad Hatter, his blue eyes shining with the light of the street lamp.

"Nothing's over Batman!" Tetch spat. "This is just the beginning! You have no idea what's coming!"

The symphony of police sirens cut through the curses flying out of Tetch's mouth as Gordon's squad rounded the corner. Batman recognized the first police officer he had freed at the University get out of the lead car, followed closely by Gordon himself.

"Looks like your ride's here, Jervis." Batman growled, turning his attention to the approaching police, then back to Tetch. "Enjoy your stay at Arkham."

As Gordon and the police arrived, Batman ducked into the alleyway without a word and withdrew his grappling hook, speeding up through the air and onto the rooftops. He took a moment to watch the police cuff Tetch and put him in the back of a squad car before he turned and began heading north.

Batman landed back on street level a few moments later. He took stock of his location and stopped when he saw the street sign on the corner.

Crime Alley.

Behind the emotionless exterior of The Batman, Bruce Wayne had a silent moment of pain and regret. The same spot where both his parents had been gunned down by a mugger decades ago. The same spot where this had all started. The spot where his family had died, and The Batman had been born.

The moment passed and Batman continued a block up and ducked into another alley, pressing a button on the inside of his right wrist. A pair of headlights lit up the stretch of road, followed by the roar of a car engine. Batman climbed into his personal transportation, the Batmobile, and headed out of Gotham City.

Fifteen minutes later, the Batmobile breached a waterfall at the end of a dirt road. The forest to the north of Gotham was thick, dark and quiet. Just the way Batman liked it. The path beyond the waterfall turned to smooth concrete and ended in a massive subterranean chamber. Another section of the river flowed through the cave straight ahead, while a set of steel stairs led up to another level of the cave to the right. To the left was a sheer cliff that may have dropped hundreds of feet.

Batman killed the engine and stepped out of the car, heading up the stairs. Another huge chamber opened up ahead of him, this one equipped with a man-made platform full of computer monitors. Next to this, a lower section consisted of all manner of power tools and machinery for creating weaponry and performing maintenance on the Batmobile. At the rear of the computer chamber was a large glass case, sectioned off and containing a variety of costumes from over the years. Adjacent was a sectioned off room that served to house the Batsuit, any equipment and weapons Batman would need, as well as any items that were currently in a development phase. Above this was a higher chamber containing various confiscated items from his exploits and adventures. Beneath the lower level and the machinery, a walkway was laid out over the path of another waterfall and led to a stone staircase. This would lead to the cave's upper chamber and the many entrances to and from Wayne Manor.

Batman climbed the stairs and immediately headed through the heavy steel door that led into what he called his 'locker room.' It took a few moments, but when he emerged from the other side of the room, He was Bruce Wayne again, dressed in a plain white T-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting track pants. He walked the length of the room and sat at his computer system, typing the name Jervis Tetch into the computer and adding details from tonight's incident to the existing file. Once finished, Bruce sat and thought.

What was Tetch after? What did he mean by 'just the beginning?' was there a larger plan behind all this?

"I'm relieved to see that you've made it home in one piece, Master Bruce." Alfred's clipped, British accent echoed off the cave walls.

Bruce looked up and found Alfred standing in front of him, a small tray containing a sandwich and a glass of milk in one hand and a first-aid kit in the other. Bruce smiled and took the milk, waving away the first-aid kit with his free hand.

"Not necessary tonight, Alfred." Bruce said between gulps of milk. He took the sandwich and chewed out a big bite.

"Very well, sir." Alfred said, turning to take the items back upstairs.

"Alfred?" Bruce said, trying not to talk with his mouth full.

"Yes, sir?"

"Jervis Tetch escaped Arkham again. I think we should put some thought into helping them out with their security. Send their board of trustees a couple million tomorrow, would you?"

"Of course, Master Bruce." Alfred said with a smile. "You really ought to retire for the evening, sir. You look quite tired."

"Good idea." Bruce said, the last bite of sandwich still in his mouth. Alfred rolled his eyes disapprovingly at him and the two men headed up into the house together.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thunderheads rumbled in the distance, threatening Gotham with thick rain as the police cruisers pulled up to the front step of Arkham Asylum. Jervis Tetch had, of course been raving like a lunatic the entire trip, but that was to be expected.

Gordon took the time to look over the grim and ominous exterior of the asylum as he pulled the villainous Mad Hatter from the car and began to march him up the front steps. The building itself was enormous, its gothic architecture including three or four stone gargoyles that leered down over the tall double doors that led into the front hall of the building. Two or three of the barred windows shone light out into the darkness, most likely offices.

Gordon turned his attention to the main doors, which opened as two solidly built guards; both armed with police-issue Beretta 9mm handguns, stepped out into the chilly air to greet the police commissioner.

"Found him, huh? How'd you pull that one off, chief?" One of the guards asked, folding his burly arms across his chest.

"How do you think?" Gordon replied, not stopping to chat as he led Tetch into the dimly lit corridor just on the other side of the doors. He heard them close behind him as he approached the attending Warden of the facility, a man named Jonathan Meeks. The Warden smiled as Gordon approached, gesturing beyond the open security door that led toward the holding cells.

"So nice of you to join us again, professor. We've kept your room just the way you left it." Meeks took a moment to look past Tetch into Gordon's faded blue eyes. "I'll take it from here, commissioner."

Gordon nodded and shoved Tetch toward Meeks, who placed both hands firmly on the Mad Hatter's wrists. He nodded to the Warden and turned to leave.

"Give my regards to the Batman, won't you Commissioner?" Meeks called cheerfully as Gordon exited the building. Once he was gone, Meeks turned his attention back to the Hatter, who looked utterly disinterested. "Shall we?" The warden said, shoving Tetch down the hall as the security doors slid shut behind them.

Once in the main holding area of the asylum, Meeks led Tetch into an interrogation room. A soundproof interrogation room, with no cameras.

"Did you get the items I asked for?" Meeks asked, working quickly and quietly to remove the handcuffs from the Hatter's wrists.

"Of course I did. They're stashed in an alleyway near the University."

"Excellent. It will be no time at all before I'm able to make my grand return and give Gotham City, as well as The Batman, exactly what they have coming to them." Meeks grinned, pacing the length of the room like a caged animal.

"Well, go on, back to your cell. I can't have the guards catching you out and about; I'd lose my job!" Meeks laughed as he opened the door to the holding cells and watched as Tetch did as he was told.

Meeks followed and locked the cell door behind the Hatter before continuing down the row to another cell. This door had no bars on it, just a thick steel plated door with a small window set into it. Smeared upon the glass in what appeared to be blood, was the crude outline of a smiley face.

Meeks grinned menacingly as he slid the lock of the cell door open, then calmly turned and walked away.

"Looks like the joke's on you, Bats."

While the Batman had hung up his cowl for the night, across town, things were just beginning to heat up.

Shards of glass lay strewn along a stretch of sidewalk, glittering like diamonds under the moonlight. No alarm had been tripped; which meant that either the jewelry store didn't have a security system, or the perpetrators had disabled it already.

Another lone, shadowy figure sat perched like a gargoyle on the rooftop across the street from the broken storefront window. He stood, readying himself for the inevitable brawl that was about to ensue. It was no matter to him though. He had been trained for this, long ago. Trained by the best. Trained by the Batman himself.

The man called Nightwing flung himself off the rooftop, twisting and twirling in the air with the grace of a bird. He landed silently in front of the broken window, stealthily examining the dim outlines of shadows within the jewelry store. Five of them, no clear-cut ringleader. This was going to be a cakewalk.

Nightwing withdrew a few of his customized wing-dings from a pouch at his wrist and flung them into the shadows. He didn't make a move until he heard both of his targets hit the floor. He sprang into action.

A flying straight kick to the jaw of one of the men sent him crashing to the floor. This was followed by a quick pivot and a roundhouse to the head of another. With the two already writhing on the floor from the impact of his projectiles, that made four down. He quickly turned to face the only one left on his feet and easily dodged a right hook, then ducked under a left cross, coming back up with a firm uppercut to the man's chin, knocking him out cold. By now, two of them were back to their feet. One of them rushed him and was easily dispatched with a fireman's carry takeover that sent him crashing through one of the jewelry cases. The other man turned and ran.

"Smartest move you've made all night." Nightwing remarked, pressing a pressure-sensitive switch on the palm of his right hand, launching a grappling hook toward the fugitive's feet. It wrapped firmly around his ankles and he fell in a heap to the concrete. Nightwing quickly turned back to the other two men, who were on their feet again and both coming at him simultaneously. He allowed them to get close, then executed a perfect somersault over them, cracking their heads together as he went.

All five of the thieves were now incapacitated and Nightwing took the time to cuff each of them. He left them in a pile outside the jewelry store and signaled a passing police cruiser to come and collect them. After a brief thank you from the cops, He ascended once again to the rooftops of Gotham City.

On the roof of the Natural History Museum, Nightwing ran into a surprise.

"Evenin' Bluebird." A familiar female voice echoed out of the shadows. He turned, searching for the source and the silhouette of an old adversary greeted him.

Her face was pale, with blood-red lipstick and a black domino mask covered her dazzling blue eyes. Her golden hair hung in loose pigtails on either side of her head. She wore a simple tube top with a zippered front and a pair of jeans, both bisected down the middle in alternating red and black patterns.

"Harley Quinn. What do I owe the displeasure?" Nightwing quipped, preparing himself for a face-off with the notorious criminal, but being careful to not make it look too obvious.

"Don't tell me you're not happy to see me, Nightwing." She replied with a devilish smirk.

"The only place I'll be happy to see you is in jail, Quinn." He remarked, narrowing his eyes.

She giggled, taking a few steps toward him. "That's not what you said last night, Bird Boy."

Nightwing placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back gently, making it clear that he didn't want her near him. "Last night was a mistake."

"And the night before that?" She teased, playing her fingers up the length of his outstretched arm.

"It's been a rough week, what can I say?" He said, taking his hand from her shoulder and gently taking her by the hand.

"Why don't you tell me all about it? I am a psychiatrist, after all." She smiled seductively as she played with the zipper at the front of her top, moving it up and down. Nightwing tried to fight it, but couldn't hold back a smile as he closed the distance between them and kissed her, savoring the taste of black cherries.

"You know we can't keep doing this." He said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What's the matter, Bluebird? You afraid Bats is gonna find out?"

He was silent for a moment, running the scenario through his head. What if Batman did find out? What was he going to do about it? Besides, it wasn't like Batman hadn't had his trysts with outlaws in the past. Talia, Selina and who knows how many others. Batman wasn't in any position to judge him.

"What about the Joker?" Nightwing asked sincerely.

Harley chuckled a bit "People always figure me for some dumb bubble-headed blonde. Truth is, I'm fully aware that Mr. J's a psycho. He's brilliant when it comes to his little gags, but not when it comes to the stuff that really matters. I hate to speak ill of my puddin' but the fact of the matter is that I could outsmart him any day of the week. He'll never find out. Besides, he's all locked up, nice and cozy at Arkham. Now are we gonna talk shop all night?" She paused and finally slid the zipper all the way open, allowing the flimsy tube top to fall to the concrete rooftop. The chilly Gotham wind bit at her bare flesh, exciting her as she took a step back from Nightwing, allowing him to get a good long look. "Or are we gonna get down to business?"

Behind the mask of Nightwing, Dick Grayson was wildly conflicted. He knew this was wrong. Harley Quinn, the same Harley Quinn that had helped the Joker commit dozens, if not hundreds of crimes. How many lives had she destroyed? How many families had she ripped apart?

How many people had she killed?

That single thought put Dick's mind back to work and helped him evade the distraction of her beautiful body glistening in the moonlight.

"How many people have you killed, Harley?" He gruffed, studying her reaction.

She froze and went wide-eyed. She had been expecting a lot of things once the clothes started to come off, but that wasn't one of them. Why would he ask that now, of all times?

"No one. Not directly anyway. I've seen Mr. J put down more guys than I can count, but I never took part in any of it beyond being a spectator. I'm in this thing with Joker for the laughs, Bluebird. I'm in it for a good time, not to kill people."

Harley took a silent moment, standing there atop the Gotham Natural History Museum, naked from the waist up, to really study this man. Nightwing. Who was he really? Had she even bothered to care up until now? Up until a month ago, Nightwing hadn't been anything but another pain in her ass. But now? He seemed to be fighting with himself about something. About her?

Harley smiled and took a few steps forward until they were only a couple of inches apart. For the first time since they'd started this little romp of theirs, she would have killed to see behind that mask.

"Look, Nightwing. I know this thing between us has got to have your moral radar all fucked up." She paused, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh. "Don't tell anybody this, but since Mr. J got locked up last year, I haven't pulled a single job. No heists, no kidnappings, nothing. There's no interest in it for me anymore. I'm thinking about going straight."

Now it was Dick's turn to be surprised. "You really mean that, Harley? You're really giving up crime?"

She nodded, not sure whether to be proud of herself or depressed at leaving behind the life she had known for so long now. Would she be able to make it on her own, without Joker?

She was lost in thought when his hand found her chin and turned her gaze to meet his. She was met with a kiss. Not just a kiss, but a real kiss. One with passion and fire and, god help her, meaning. It was the first time in her life she had ever felt this way over a simple kiss. When he finally pulled back, Harley found herself light-headed. She fell against his chest and leaned there for a moment.

"I'm proud of you, Harley."

She shot up and off of him, a mixture of confusion and shock played across her perfect blue eyes. Had he really just said that? Proud of her? No one had ever been proud of her before. Not Joker, not her parents, her teachers, no one. She looked him up and down, her mind swimming with a billion conflicting thoughts.

This time it was Nightwing who closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, feeling her quiver under his touch. He kissed her again as she wrapped her arms around him and parted his lips with her tongue. Her bare flesh pressed up against him and he snaked a hand down the length of her back, cupping her butt and hoisting her up into a sitting position as her legs found their way around his waist. Together, the two of them stumbled backward until Dick's back pressed up against a solid wall. They stayed there for a moment or two, each of their mouths exploring the others, steadily rocking up and down against one another.

Eventually, she lowered herself onto the ground and planted her hand firmly between his legs, gripping the most intimate p[arts of him as he let out a hiss of pleasure. She smiled and began running her fingers up and down the length of him until finally unfastening his belt and removing the pesky clothing that stood between her and her trophy.

It wasn't the first time she had done this, but it still surprised her how big he actually was, especially compared to the Joker, who unfortunately wasn't exactly gifted in the physical department. She smiled up at her former adversary one more time before taking him into her mouth, slowly encasing the entirety of him between her lips. He let out a moan and gripped a handful of her golden hair, tugging firmly as she let out a small noise of her own.

Faster she went, enjoying every small noise that escaped him as she swallowed the length of him over and over again. There was a degree of control here that she had never had with Joker. He would never trust her enough to allow anything like this. It was all ropes and gags and bruises with Joker. But this, this was different. This was new and exciting. She wanted more.

She withdrew and pushed Him back against the wall, quickly and skillfully shimmying her pants down past her ankles and kicking them off to the side. She then walked seductively toward him, a devilish smile on her face.

Dick couldn't help but let a smile out himself. He had been in relationships before, of course, but there was something different about Harley. Sure, there was the danger aspect and the element of worry that they would be caught, but that wasn't it. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. She just seemed… right. Even after everything the two of them had gone through as enemies, being here with her, like this just seemed to make sense in some strange way.

He squatted down slightly, grabbing hold of both her legs and hoisted her up so that her thighs were wrapped around either side of his neck. He ran his tongue along the inner portion of her leg, savoring the little moans that came from her as he inched closer and closer to his target.

Harley found herself stunned. They had never done this before. She sat upon Nightwing's shoulders, his tongue playing along the inside of her thighs and it was driving her crazy. One of her hands was tangled in his hair while the other occasionally raked up his back. What had gotten him in such a playful mood tonight? Normally she had to take the initiative and instigate things between the two of them, but this was something altogether new.

Her train of thought was instantly derailed as his tongue plunged into her, bringing a loud moan from her that echoed off the adjacent buildings. She gripped the back of his head tightly, trying with all her might not to fall, but he held her firmly as his tongue did little circles inside her, always coming back to the same spot that brought cries of ecstasy from her.

Harley managed to open her eyes and glance upward, finding the rungs of a ladder worked into the side of the wall. She gripped them with both hands and hoisted herself up further, allowing him to go even deeper. She bucked against his mouth, her shrill moans growing louder and more intense by the moment. Just when she thought that she couldn't possibly take anymore, he stopped and lowered her onto the ground, holding her even after her shaky legs were back underneath her where they belonged.

He guided her onto her back and hovered over her, his dark bangs hanging over his eyes. How she wanted to know, to see who was behind that mask. She studied his expression and found that the hesitation, the reluctance that she had grown used to over the past month, wasn't there anymore. In its place was only desire.

He slowly positioned himself over her and allowed one more passionate kiss before he slid into her, fast and hard. She screamed into his mouth, rolling her hips up against him and gripping the back of his head with both hands. She pulled her head back as he continued his pace, continuing slowly but firmly and smiling with each moan he produced from her.

This was unreal. Never before had he taken this much control of her. Everything was so much more intense and real tonight. What was this? Why was everything so different? Why was she feeling this way? Before, it had simply been fun. A way to pass the time and get her rocks off until Joker broke out of Arkham again. But tonight? Tonight was the first time she had forgotten all about the Joker. She was giving herself to Nightwing. Allowing him to dominate her in ways Joker never had. Tonight, she could give a fuck less about the Joker.

She sat up and shoved him backward into a sitting position and climbed up into his lap, raising herself up the length of him, then plunging back down, allowing him to fill her to the brim, letting out shrill cries each time. She went faster and faster, her screams growing louder with each moment.

She felt herself tighten around him and threw her head back, screaming loud enough for half of Gotham to hear as she came. She froze in place, savoring the moment, but then felt him began to sway his hips, thrusting into her from beneath like a jackhammer.

"Oh, God, don't stop! Don't stop!" She yelled, feeling another powerful wave of ecstasy hit her like a ton of bricks. At the same time, he rolled his head back and let loose, feeling himself explode inside her. He let out a growl of pure pleasure and shuddered as she lowered herself upon him one final time, then leaned over his prone body to plant another passionate kiss upon him. He enthusiastically returned the gesture as she pulled herself up off him, bringing one final noise of pleasure from both of them.

"Holy shit." Harley panted, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "You really know how to rock a girl's world when you put your mind to it, don't you, Bluebird?"

Dick smiled as he composed himself and got his suit back where it belonged. "Glad to be of service."

Harley giggled and began scanning the rooftop for her clothes, finding them piece by piece. She got dressed quickly and skipped back over to face him, kissing him again. She couldn't help it. For some reason tonight, she just couldn't get enough of him.

"I suppose you've got to go save the city now, don't you?" She pouted, placing her hands on his broad, muscular chest.

"I suppose I do." He replied. He didn't sound any more pleased about it than she did.

Dick fought internally with himself for a few silent moments, struggling to decide whether or not he was going to do what his brain was telling him not to.

"Harley?" He turned to face her. She turned, her beautiful blue eyes shining like sapphires in the moonlight. She waited patiently for him to continue as she adjusted her top. "I want to see you again." He stated, drawing another smile out of her.

"Just can't get enough of me, can you?" She teased, crossing her arms playfully across her chest.

"No, I mean really. I want to see you again. I want more than just… this."

Harley cocked her head in confusion, then cracked an even bigger grin. "You askin' me out on a date, Bluebird?"

"No! I mean… maybe. I don't know. I just want… more."

Harley's smile faded as she understood the gravity of the situation. There was something happening between the two of them that she hadn't predicted. The Bird-boy was developing feelings for her. She almost laughed, then took stock of her own feelings. She looked him up and down, really seeing him in his entirety for the first time.

"But please, Harley, please, you have to promise me you won't go back to him. You have to promise me that you're done with that life. I don't want to go back to chasing you. Not after everything that's happened." Nightwing spoke gravely, sincerely.

Harley was silent, a thousand thought swimming through her head, each of them seeming to pull her in a different direction. Was she really done with the life? Could she really leave Mr. J behind? She had serious doubts.

She felt his hands come to rest on her shoulders and she looked up to meet his eyes. Suddenly, it felt like she could do anything. Joker was a distant memory when she looked at Nightwing.

'Damn it, Harley, pull yourself together!' She thought to herself. 'You're acting like a teenager with a crush! You can do this on your own. Don't do it for him, do it for you! Prove to yourself that you don't need the clown! Prove to yourself that you can live a normal life!'

Harley looked back up at Nightwing, resolute as she spoke.

"Alright, Nightwing. I promise. On one condition."

"Name it."

"I leave behind my life, my friends and my home; I want something from you."

"What?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"I want to know who's behind the mask."

Dick instinctively stepped back from her, shocked at her proposal. He couldn't. There was no way he could trust her with that secret. It was too important. Or was it? He wanted to trust her so badly, but he couldn't let go of her past. What if she double-crossed him? What if the Joker found out? He struggled with himself for what seemed like an eternity before finally coming to a decision.

"I have your word that this stays between us?" He asked her, still hesitant.

"Cross my heart." She smiled.

Dick paused, letting out a sigh. He reached up to his face and pulled off his mask tossing it at her feet, totally exposed to her. He just hoped he was doing the right thing. He looked up to meet her gaze, his naked eyes finding hers. He studied her expression, finding confusion and surprise.

"Okay, so who the hell are you?" She asked, planting a hand on her hip.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hours later, Nightwing finally made his way through the dark and rocky tunnels beneath Wayne Manor into the Batcave to find his old mentor sitting at his computer station, carefully dissecting the security footage from the encounter he had had with The Mad Hatter earlier that evening. Dick removed his mask and set it on one of the tables as he approached, watching the monitors almost as carefully as his former partner.

"Figured you'd be asleep by now." Dick remarked, not tearing his gaze from the computer screens. Bruce never turned to look at him, instead keeping his attention on the video of his earlier exploits.

"Tried. Didn't take. Where have you been?" The older man asked, pushing a few buttons to zoom in and enhance the image.

"Jewelry heist over near the Bowery. Nothing apocalyptic. Looks like you kept yourself busy."

"Tetch. Decided to pull a job at the University." Bruce narrowed his eyes as he singled out a portion of the security footage and looped it, trying to find that one clue that would make everything clear.

"What kind of job?" Dick asked, pulling up a chair next to the computer station.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Tetch took something from the science building, but was empty-handed when I apprehended him."

"Maybe he tossed it for a quicker getaway?" Dick suggested.

"Not likely. He went to the effort of subduing two police squads to get whatever he was after, I can't see him tossing it aside on my account."

"Maybe he stashed it somewhere in order to come back for it later?"

"Maybe. But He's locked up back in Arkham now. Not much chance for him to get to it. Unless…"

"Unless he stashed it for someone else to recover." Dick finished. "But who?"

"Who, indeed?" Bruce grumped as he opened a new window on the computer and ran through a list of known associates. As the list came up, Bruce printed two copies and handed one off to Dick. "Keep your eyes open. If you run across any of these characters over the next few nights, find out what they know."

"Sure thing." Dick assured him as he looked up and down the list.

"So, who is she?" Bruce asked, his attention firmly planted on the computer monitors.

"What? Who is who? What do you mean, her?"

Bruce turned and narrowed his eyes at the younger man. "Unless you've taken to wearing rose perfume and black cherry lipstick, there's a her. So, who is she?"

Dick cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the computer, avoiding Bruce's eagle-like eyes. He fought with himself over whether or not to tell Bruce, but couldn't bring himself to. "Just a girl from college. No one you'd know." He lied through his teeth, waiting for Bruce to look back to the computer screens and take those heavy eyes off of him.

"Hm." Bruce finally turned away from Dick and back to business at hand, but the younger man couldn't help but feel guilty over lying to the man who had been like a father to him all these years. He sincerely hoped he was doing the right thing.

After knocking on the door for what seemed like forever, Harley finally heard footsteps on the other side. The lock clicked and the door opened, revealing Harley's oldest and dearest friend, looking tired and irritated.

Wearing nothing but a bright green bra and matching thong, Pamela Isley, also known as Poison Ivy rubbed her green eyes and ran a hand through her tousled red hair. She had been out of Arkham for over a year now and, according to word on the street, actually had a legitimate job now.

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Harley?" She growled.

"Hiya, Red!" Harley squealed, throwing her arms around Ivy in a big hug. Ivy didn't return the gesture, but pried Harley off of her and narrowed her eyes at her.

"What are you doing here, Harley?

"I need a place to crash for a couple of nights. You don't mind, right?"

Ivy rolled her eyes and gestured for Harley to come in. A smile lit up her face and she moved in for another hug, but Ivy put up a hand to stop her. "Not until I've had my coffee, Harley. Then you can act like a spaz."

"Thanks, Ivy. It's nice to know I've got somebody I can depend on in this city."

"Think nothing of it. After all, it's not the first time you've hijacked my apartment. So, what's going on? Joker kick you out again?"

"Joker? No way, Red. He's still locked up at the nuthouse. This time it's different. I'm going straight and I need a place away from Mr. J's goons where I can start over."

Ivy nearly choked on her coffee. Harley? Going straight? Something major must have gone down for her to have made a decision this big.

"Going straight, huh? Well, I'm glad you finally decided to get away from the clown, at least. Coffee?" Ivy took an empty cup down from the cupboard as Harley nodded.

"I figured you were already doing well on your own and maybe you could help me find work so I can get my own place."

"I can probably help with that, but I've got to know what triggered all of this so suddenly? A month ago you were Joker's little lapdog, waiting for him to come home; and now you're looking to go straight? What changed?" Ivy stirred up the coffee and set it in front of Harley, watching as she poured enough sugar into it to kill a normal person.

"I met somebody, Red." Harley said, not fighting the smile that lit up her whole face.

"You met somebody?" Ivy asked, her eyes going wide with surprise. "Somebody as in a guy somebody?"

Harley nodded. "Yeah. He's a sweetheart, Red."

"I see. And does this sweetheart have a name?" Ivy trailed her finger around the rim of her coffee cup, legitimately curious as to who had Harley this entranced.

"You ever hear of the Flying Graysons?" Harley asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Graysons? Yeah, they were a pretty high-profile circus act back in their day. Then somebody killed them off during a performance. Well, all but the youngest of them. What was his name?"

"Richard." Harley said, the smile creeping back onto her face.

"That's it. He was the only survivor. Wait you're not saying that this guy you're seeing is Dick Grayson?" Ivy leaned forward, fully interested in the conversation.

"Yeah. It's funny, I'd never heard of the circus act before he told me about it. By the way, didn't he used to live with Bruce Wayne here a couple of years ago?" Harley asked, trying to piece together Dick's life.

Ivy nodded. "Wayne took him in when his parents were murdered, then I guess they had a falling out and Dick's been on his own ever since."

Harley took this in and finally understood. Dick's parents got murdered when he was a kid. That's why he had saddled up with the Bat. It made sense. Harley turned back to her coffee cup and took another sip. She had made a promise that she wouldn't tell anybody about Dick being Nightwing and she intended to keep it.

"So, how long have you guys been seeing each other?" Ivy prodded a smile creeping up on her face.

"A little over a month." Harley answered, emptying her cup.

"So…"

"So, what, Red?

"Have you guys, you know?"

"That's none of your business, Ivy!" Harley said firmly. Ivy, however kept a sly smile on her face and it didn't take long for one to reappear on Harley's face as well. "Like bunny rabbits, Red! Oh my God, he's amazing! And like I said, he's a sweetheart. He wants to keep me out of trouble so I don't wind up back in Arkham."

"Sounds like you finally found yourself a decent guy. Nice job, Harley. But I've got to ask, does he know? I mean, about you and Joker and your night life?"

"He knows everything, Ivy. And he doesn't care! That's the most amazing part about it. All he wants is to see me happy. That's more than I can say for Mr. J."

"Good for you, Harley. It's about time you caught a break."

The cheery atmosphere in Ivy's plant-covered kitchen was interrupted when the phone rang. She stood up and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Is this Pam Isley?" A male voice on the other end asked.

"Yes, who is this?"

"It's Dick Grayson. I'm sorry to call so late, but is Harley there with you?"

Ivy smiled and glanced sideways at Harley. "Why yes, Mr. Grayson, she certainly is. Can I put her on for you?"

"Never mind that right now. Turn on your TV to channel 8."

Ivy's smile vanished, but she did as she was told. The TV buzzed to life and revealed a live news crew in front of a burning building.

"Vicki Vale on location here in downtown Gotham where the Riverbend Apartment Complex has been set on fire, a product of an arsonist attack, according to Detective Harvey Bullock, who was the first officer on the scene. Initial eyewitness reports suggest that this heinous crime was carried out by none other than the Joker, who just hours ago perpetrated a daring escape from Arkham Asylum, injuring four security guards in the process. The newly appointed warden of Arkham Asylum, Jonathan Meeks, refused to comment. More on this story as the situation develops. I'm Vicki Vale for Channel 8 Action News."

"Oh no." Ivy said gravely.

"Oh, shit." Harley added.

"Keep Harley there with you. Don't answer the phone or the door for anyone. If he shows up, both of you get out of there and head somewhere safe. I'll call back when I can." Dick hung up the phone and headed out the door, praying that Joker didn't get to Harley before he could. Or worse, that Harley went looking for the Joker.

Across the city, deep within the industrial complex, a group of men sat around a large table in a warehouse, waiting. None of them said a word, fearful that he might hear. Then, as if by magic, he appeared at the head of the table, emerging from the shadows.

He was tall and thin, almost gaunt with chalk-white skin, a long nose and chin and bright green eyes that matched his tangled hair. His ruby red lips were pulled back into a wide, hideous, tooth-filled grin. A form-fitting purple, pinstriped suit hugged his skeletal frame as he approached the table.

"Good evening, boys. I'm glad you could all make it. Now, do we all understand what our jobs are tonight?" He watched each of them nod silently. "Excellent. Any questions?"

One of the men stood up. "What do we do if we run across the Bat?"

"You leave good old Batsy to me." The man said with a menacing laugh. "Now get to work!"

The men turned to leave, all aware that their lives were depending on the success of tonight's job.

"Oh, Jeffrey?" The man at the head of the table called. Before he could get out the door, the one called Jeffrey and a few other men turned just in time to see the gleam of a gun barrel. Jeffrey had time to choke out 'don't' before a metallic shaft with a 'BANG' flag pierced his chest. He slumped to the ground, stone cold dead.

"What did Jeff do, boss?" One of the other men inquired.

"Nothing. I've been locked up for the past eight months and I just wanted to kill something." The man replied. A wild laugh echoed through the warehouse as the rest of the men quickly exited the building.

"I'm waiting, Batman." The Joker giggled. "Come and get me, if you can."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hours later, dawn was fast approaching and neither Batman, nor Nightwing had turned up any sign of the Joker. Nightwing however had run across several associates of Jervis Tetch, none of whom had any idea what the bigger plan behind the University heist was.

Empty handed, the two of them had returned to their respective homes. Bruce to Wayne Manor, Dick to his apartment across town. After a few hours of sleep and a meager breakfast, Dick called Ivy's place to make sure Harley was safe.

"Of course. She's right here. Dead to the world on my couch at the moment, but fine.

"Good. I'll swing by later to pick her up if you don't mind." Dick said, cleaning up after his meal.

"Sure. I'll let her know as soon as she wakes up." Ivy replied.

With that, he hung up and wandered into his bedroom. He opened the closet door and twisted a wall-mounted hook, revealing a sliding door at the rear of the closet that led to a large room.

It was no Batcave, but Dick's secret hideaway had all the trimmings of a hero's lair. A high-tech computer system, complete with security surveillance sat at the left of the room, while a small assortment of power tools and a workbench was at the back. A keypad-accessible vault that contained his costume, weaponry and equipment was located at the right of the room next to a training dummy, and a hydraulic elevator was at the far right hand corner of the room. The elevator led to an underground chamber where he stored his bike. The chamber also led out into a spillway that connected with the main roads of Gotham.

Dick sat down in his computer chair, booting up the system and running a search for old hideouts the joker may have been using. He also ran a search for any past connection between Jervis Tetch and the Joker. It seemed a little too coincidental that Joker broke out of Arkham the same night Tetch was put back in. As he observed the search results, Dick's mind began to wander and he found himself opening the folder of criminal profiles. He found the file he was looking for.

Quinzel, Harleen M. Former clinical psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. Assisted in prisoner escape less than three months later. Formal criminal charges included aiding and abetting a known fugitive, assault, kidnapping, armed robbery, grand larceny, grand theft auto, resisting arrest, destruction of private property and malicious mischief.

Dick sat back in his chair, a wave of depression washing over him. What the hell was he doing? He couldn't get wrapped up with someone like Harley Quinn. It was too risky. Someone was going to end up getting hurt, or worse.

But then again, Harley was out of Arkham. Released through strictly legal means six months ago. Since then, no incidents. She wanted to give up the life of crime she had built with Joker. Besides, nowhere on her list of charges was there murder, attempted murder, arson or anything else that seemed life-threatening. She deserved a second chance. Dick moved his gaze from her profile to the image that accompanied it. Her blue eyes sparkled at him seductively, even on a computer screen.

Dick came to the decision then and there. He would help Harley. He would protect her from anyone or anything that looked to harm her, whether it was the Joker, or Batman himself. Dick wouldn't let her go through any more pain. And if it turned out that she couldn't make it, that she needed to go back to Arkham? Then Dick would be the one to take her back.

A few hours later and Harley was finally awake, lounging around Ivy's jungle of an apartment in nothing but a red thong and a small white T-shirt. She sat at Ivy's kitchen table with a plate of eggs and toast in front of her and a warm cup of coffee in her hand. Ivy was in her gigantic bathroom, soaking in the tub. Harley hummed to herself as she chewed, content for the moment. There was, however the thought of Mr. J back on the loose. The thought had crossed her mind late last night to go and find him, but she had decided against it. She and Nightwing had a good thing going and she wasn't going to screw it up by running back to the Joker already.

Nightwing, Dick, whatever he wanted to call himself, the thought of him made her knees weak, especially after the romp they had shared the other night. She pictured him with his back against the wall, her legs wrapped around his neck and that tongue of his going to town on her. She felt her nether regions tighten at the memory and she couldn't help but snake a hand down the front of her panties, running a finger up and down herself.

She was getting wetter by the minute and she giggled to herself as she leaned back to check where Ivy was. The bathroom door was still closed and Harley giggled again as she slid her now damp underwear off and continued playing with herself, lazily stroking up and down and occasionally doing firm little circles against her clit. A quiet moan escaped her and she silently reminded herself to be quiet. Again, she trailed her fingers up and down, parting herself and slowly plunging a finger deep inside. She giggled again and positioned one leg up onto her chair. She smiled as she pumped her fingers in and out, going ever faster. She folded the front of her shirt up with the other hand and cupped her right breast, pinching her nipple between two fingers.

She was now soaking wet and thrusting two fingers in and out of herself with a gleeful smile on her face. She pictured the two of them on the rooftop again, his hard length inside her and his hands upon her bare flesh. It brought another soft moan of pleasure from her as she turned her attention back to her clit, stroking it up and down with increasing speed until she felt herself ready to explode. Her breathing grew faster and she allowed herself one final moan as she threw her head back in ecstasy. It was only then that she felt the chair begin to tilt backward and she tried to quickly catch herself, only to fail and tumble onto the floor. This was only a momentary inconvenience as a few more quick strokes of her talented fingers brought her to her breaking point and she came hard, laughing through the orgasm.

"You okay, Harley?" Ivy's voice rang out from behind the closed bathroom door.

Harley was still panting with her hand between her legs and her tits hanging out, but she managed to answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tipped my chair over, that's all."

"Well, be more careful. I can't afford to be replacing my furniture."

Harley was oblivious, still in the grip of complete pleasure as she rolled onto her back and spread her legs once more, collecting the moisture from her nether region and licking her fingers clean.

"Jeez, I need to start my days like that more often." She said to herself as she climbed up off the floor and began hunting for her underwear, which she found under the kitchen table. She slid them back on and righted her chair, giggling again as she sat back down to finish her breakfast.

As she swallowed the last bite of her toast, her mind began to wander back to Dick Grayson. She knew very little about him, other than the fact that he was secretly Nightwing. She wondered to herself what kind of man he really was.

"Shower's yours if you want it." Ivy's voice came out of nowhere and Harley jumped, turning to glare at her best friend. Her hair was a damp mass of red curls and her skin held a slight hint of green from the chlorophyll in her blood. Her eyes had a sheen to them that made them almost seem to glow like emeralds.

She didn't have a stitch of clothing on.

"Jesus, Red, give somebody a heart attack why don't you? Why are you naked, anyway?"

Ivy smirked at her. "Three reasons. One, I don't like the feel of towels. They're too synthetic. Two, my skin stays softer if I let it air-dry. And three, I don't feel the need to get dressed in my own house. Unless it offends you, of course."

Harley blinked at Ivy and felt herself blush. There had been a night or two where she and Ivy had shared trysts that rivaled the crap in porno movies. And yes, Harley had to admit there was still an attraction there. Ivy was a beautiful woman. She was a bit bigger up top than Harley was, but not by much. Harley had the nicer rear end between the two of them, though and she considered that something of a trophy.

"Why should I care if you don't get dressed? It's nothing I haven't seen before, after all." Harley remarked as she got up and headed for the bathroom.

"Oh and Harley?" Ivy called after her and Harley turned to meet her gaze. "If you really feel the need to get your rocks off while you're here, at least have the decency to not do it at my kitchen table."

Harley was stunned for a moment, then felt herself blush as she marched into the bathroom.

She paced the length of the bathroom for a few minutes, then resigned to at least shower while she was in here dying of embarrassment. She stripped down to her birthday suit, taking a moment to admire herself in the mirror.

Her blonde hair was loose across her shoulders and it framed her heart-shaped face perfectly. Her dazzling blue eyes were probably her best feature, but that depended on who you asked. She personally loved her lips which were full and thick and sexy as hell with the right shade of lipstick. Her early gymnastics career had guaranteed her a solid frame, evidenced by her perfectly defined arms and powerful legs. Her stomach was flat, but hid a decent core of muscle while her breasts sat, full and perky, her pink nipples standing out against her alabaster skin. She regularly shaved her pubic hair and the skin there was perfectly smooth and inviting.

Harley turned around to regard the other side of her. Her back was decorated with the occasional scar from Mr. J's whip, but she had asked for those marks. Below was what Harley herself considered her best feature. Her butt was supple and firm and managed to look perfect no matter what she wore. Even now, stark naked it looked damn good. She squeezed both cheeks in her hands, testing how firm they actually were and smiled to herself as they quivered a little when she let go.

Eventually, Harley stepped into the shower and let the water cascade over her body, washing away all of her doubts and worries, at least for the moment. She spent the time thinking to herself. What was she going to do with her life now that she had decided to leave Joker behind for good? Was there really a future with Dick Grayson? Could she afford to be that optimistic? Or would her past come back to bite her and send her back to that hell they called Arkham Asylum?

For the first time, Harley Quinn found herself standing at a moral crossroads and sincerely didn't know what to do. Nightwing could handle the Joker if he decided to stick that pointy nose of his where it didn't belong. And the Bat? Well, she'd let Nightwing worry about him.

Feeling refreshed, Harley stepped from the shower and searched for a towel, finding a single red and black beach towel that she herself had left here the last time she had paid ivy a visit. She dried her hair and wrapped up, heading back out into the living room of Ivy's apartment where her bag of clothes sat on the couch. She hadn't had any choice but to grab a few things from the hideout and run. She wanted to get as far away from that life as she could right now. It made things easier.

Harley dug into her bag and found a ruffled white skirt that wasn't too long or too short and set it aside. A tight black T-shirt that exposed her abdomen went into the pile as well, then She started searching for underwear. She found a black bra that would work just fine, then found a bright blue thong. Blue? When the hell had she bought blue underwear?

She thought of Nightwing again, the blue of his costume. The blue of his eyes. Dick Grayson; her Bluebird. She smiled and put them on.

"I think blue is the new red." She giggled to herself, putting on the rest of her clothes. Just as she was finishing up getting dressed, the sound of a motorcycle engine outside sparked both Harley's and Ivy's attention. It was Ivy, however, that peeked through the window in time to see Dick Grayson pulling off his helmet.

"Looks like your boyfriend's here, Harley." Ivy said with a smirk.

Harley looked ecstatic at first, and then her eyes went wide with terror.

"Oh, shit! Red, I can't see him dressed like this! What have you got that I can wear?"

Ivy giggled at her friend. "There's a cardboard box in the back room. It's full of things that are a bit too small for me. Take what you like, but try and be quick."

Harley nodded and took off toward the back of the apartment, tripping over the legs of one of the kitchen chairs, then the edge of the living room rug before she finally made it into the other room and shut the door. Ivy just rolled her eyes and shook her head as a loud knock sounded at the front door.

Ivy answered it with a smile.

"Hi, I'm looking for Harley? I'm…"

"I know who you are, lover boy." Harley stated with a grin. "Come on in, she's getting dressed."

Dick nodded and wandered in, marveling at the vast amount of plant species that littered the interior of the place. Then again, it was Poison Ivy's house, what had he expected?

"Can I get you anything while you wait?" Ivy asked, looking Dick up and down. Harley had gotten her hands on a nice one this time. Definitely a big step up from the Joker. This boy had bulk to him. Nice butt, too. He had a well-defined, square jaw and good cheekbones. His hair was short and black, with bangs that hung over his intense eyes, which were a shade or two darker than Harley's. He wore a tight fitting pair of jeans and a black T-shirt that was hidden under a leather jacket.

"No, thanks. I'm fine." Dick replied, cupping his motorcycle helmet under one arm as he continued to look the place over. Inside his head, Nightwing was poking through, scanning the environment for anything that could be considered a threat or a trap. Ivy had been legit for quite a while now, but you could never be too careful in this city.

So, how did you and Harley meet?" Ivy asked, sliding into one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

Dick finally turned and looked at her. "Oh, we kind of just ran into each other one night and one thing sort of led to another."

"So I've heard."

Dick was about to say something, when he heard one of the doors at the far end of the apartment open, and there she was.

Harley stood in the doorway, her blonde hair loose and slightly curled at the tips, wearing a form fitting, strapless blue dress that came up to her mid-thigh and had slits up to her waist on either side. Dick was speechless. He looked her up and down a good three times and swallowed hard. The shock must have been painted on his face like a color-by-number, judging from the sly smile that was plastered on Harley's face.

"Too much?" She asked, looking directly into Dick's cobalt eyes.

"I…um, no. You look great." Dick stumbled over his words like an eighteen-year-old on prom night. He suddenly felt tremendously underdressed. Harley giggled and blushed, walking across the room to greet him.

Ivy watched the two of them and felt herself smile. She was genuinely happy for Harley. It was about damned time that the girl found someone that was going to treat her like a human being. Harley was too sweet a girl to be manipulated by that bastard of a clown. If you got to know her, Harley was the sweetest, kindest person you were likely to ever meet. It was hard to believe she had done, or was even capable of the things listed in her criminal profile. It was never her that did those things, it was the Joker, twisting and manipulating her with false love. Harley had always been the type to fall in love easily, but it wasn't until she had met Joker that her personality had become obsessive. With any luck, This Grayson boy would straighten her out and get her believing in herself again. Only then would Harley truly have a real chance at a fresh start.

"Don't wait up, Red." Harley called as the two of them headed for the door.

"It was nice to meet you." Dick added as Harley pulled him along by the sleeve of his jacket.

Ivy couldn't help but smile and chuckle a bit at the two of them. Maybe this was the best thing for both of them.

On the north side of Gotham, Bruce sat inside the Batcave, furiously scouring every corner of the city for any miniscule trace of the Joker. He wouldn't sleep until that murderous psychopath was back in a padded cell where he belonged.

Hours had been spent running searches on known hideouts and associates, tuning in to police frequencies; he even had a facial recognition program hardwired into the city's traffic cameras, just in case Joker decided to show his face in public.

All of a sudden, a bright shaft of light shone into the cavern from the stairway above, instantly putting Bruce on the alert. He relaxed when a figure appeared, slowly descending the staircase. He was in his mid-teens, had short, wavy black hair and a good build to him. It had been a couple of weeks since Bruce had seen Tim around the cave, but his presence was always welcome.

"You look beat." Tim Drake remarked as he entered the main chamber of the cave, coming to stand beside Bruce at the massive computer station. "Any luck on nailing down joker's whereabouts?"

"Not yet." Bruce answered grimly.

"I figured as much. That's why I went to the trouble of tracking down an old informant. He had a few interesting things to say."

Bruce now turned to look at the young man, his interest piqued. "Like what?"

"Apparently, Joker's been sending his thugs into the east end at regular intervals. I guess they've been snooping around the Iceberg Lounge."

Bruce now turned his attention back to the computer screen. "What does Joker want with Penguin?" He wondered aloud, bringing up the latter criminal's profile.

"I don't think it's Penguin he's after." Tim answered. "I think it's the turf he's looking to get his hands on. Rumor has it that Penguin just recently started stocking a weapons warehouse somewhere near the Lounge. I'm willing to bet that whatever Joker's got on his mind, he needs the Penguin's weaponry to get it done."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. If the Joker got his hands on even a small amount of heavy weaponry, it was almost guaranteed that there was going to be big trouble for anyone who got in his way.

"Suit up. We're going to pay a visit to the Iceberg Lounge and have a few words with Mr. Cobblepot."

Roughly forty-five minutes later, Batman and Robin arrived on the roof adjacent to the Iceberg Lounge. The building looked to be deserted, which was odd at 10:30 on a Friday night. Batman turned to the younger man.

"Cover the back. No one in or out."

Robin nodded and leapt off the rooftop, disappearing behind the rear of the building. Batman on the other hand withdrew his binoculars and tuned in his specialized X-ray technology that had proved useful at the University. There didn't appear to be anyone inside the building. He silently made his way across the gap and began searching for exterior access to the Iceberg Lounge's upper level. It didn't take long to find a vent hatch in the roof and Batman didn't hesitate to crawl inside and make his way to the nearest interior exit.

He found himself in an enclosed hallway with lavish red wallpaper, standing just outside Oswald Cobblepot's office. A lockpick from one of the pouches on his belt let him into the office with ease and he began searching, looking for anything that might reveal the location of Penguin's warehouse. The file cabinets yielded no results, the same went for the bookcase. Batman then checked the desk drawers, finding a black, leather bound book of some sort. It looked as though it might be an appointment book or a ledger. He tucked it away and continued searching.

As he opened the bottom desk drawer, he heard a metallic click and was horrified to see an obvious explosive device bolted into the drawer, shaped like the face of a grinning clown. The disturbing smile on the clown's face lit up and revealed itself as a countdown window, which promptly began ticking.

10… 9… 8… 7…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Batman didn't hesitate to dive out of the nearest window and swing up onto the adjacent rooftop, yelling to Robin as he dove through the air.

"Get clear!"

He watched the young man fire a line of his own and swing up onto another nearby building. Batman had barely planted his feet on the solid concrete of the roof when the Iceberg Lounge's entire upper floor erupted in a violent and deafening explosion that knocked the Dark Knight off his feet. Smoke poured from what was left of the building and fires burned in every window. The flames lit up almost the entire surrounding block, casting eerie shadows on the nearby buildings. Batman was relieved when he spotted Robin, swinging in to join him as he watched the building burn.

"Damn it!" Robin cursed. "So much for getting any information out of that place."

"I wouldn't say that." Batman remarked, withdrawing Penguin's ledger from within his cape. "Let's find out what this has to tell us before we jump to any conclusions."

With that, the two costumed crime-fighters made their way back to Gotham North to try and pick up the Joker's trail again.

At the south end of Gotham city, inside the fanciest restaurant she had ever seen, Harley shifted her weight uncomfortably in her chair. She was having the time of her life with Dick, but couldn't get used to the atmosphere. It was as if every eyeball in the room was upon her, and not in a good way. She couldn't help but feel as though each person in the room knew who she was and what she had done over the years and was silently wishing death on her. These people could never accept someone like her, someone who had done all the horrible things she had done, it would never happen. She didn't belong here. She belonged back in Arkham with the rest of the degenerates and freaks. She deserved it. She deserved to be trapped with Joker in an abusive, hate-filled relationship for the rest of her life. It was the penance she had to pay. The cost for all the wrong she had done. It was her fate.

"You okay?" Dick's voice came from across the table and she instantly relaxed, all of her intense paranoia and insecurity vanishing in an instant.

'Yeah, I'm okay. Just not used to places like this. Not being a customer in one, anyway. This is the kind of place I probably would have knocked over a year ago." Harley stopped herself. She didn't want to keep talking about her past. If she was ever going to truly change, she had to let it all go.

"We can take off if you want, go someplace a little more down to Earth?" Dick said with a smile.

"No. It's fine. I'm having a great time." Harley replied.

The waiter came and took their orders and before long they were chatting and flirting over an appetizer of seafood fondue.

"This is fantastic!" Harley exclaimed, careful to chew her food like a lady and not shovel the delicious dish into her mouth.

Dick smiled at her, truly happy to see her enjoying herself. "I'm glad you agreed to come out with me tonight." He said softly, sampling the appetizer himself. "I'm glad you decided to give us a chance."

Harley smiled dreamily at him, longing to feel his touch on her again. But she scolded herself internally and reminded herself that things like that could wait until later.

"So why did you decide to keep seeing me?" Harley asked, waiting to gage his reaction. He looked a bit surprised, as if he hadn't expected her to ask that question so soon.

"I thought that… Well, I just… The more we kept running into each other, the more I started to look forward to it. You know? I'm out there, night after night, on my own and it's… nice to have somebody to… spend time with. I like having something to look forward to. And the more time we spent together, the more I wanted to get to know the real you. Beyond all the makeup and costumes. You know what I mean?"

Harley listened intently, hanging on his every word. When he put it that way he came across as such a sweetheart. Here he was, Dick Grayson, secretly Nightwing, putting his life on the line every night for Gotham City and all he wanted to do was have somebody to come home to. Somebody to care about him. And to think, a gorgeous guy like him who could have the pick of any girl in Gotham, and he picked her. A known criminal and recurring pain in the ass like her.

"You're a real sweet guy, did anybody ever tell you that?" Harley asked, propping her elbow up on the table and resting her head on her hand to gaze at him. She watched him actually blush a little and giggled at him for it.

Their salads came and went and soon they had their main course on front of them. Harley had ordered lobster and coconut shrimp, while Dick had gone with a simple sirloin steak.

"How's your lobster?" Dick asked partway through the meal.

"To die for!" Harley answered enthusiastically. "You want a bite?"

"Sure."

Harley speared a piece of the succulent crustacean on her fork and dipped it in butter and he let her feed it to him. He chewed it, cocking his head like a snobbish critic at a wine tasting. It took Harley a moment to realize he was doing it on purpose and she giggled at him, bringing a smile to his face.

"You're right; that is good." He said, still smiling at her.

"Told ya." She turned her attention back to her plate, but in her head all she could think about was him. This place, this food, the absolutely incredible time she was having; was this what real people did on dates? Was this what a real relationship was like? Everything seemed so crystal clear to her now. Everything she had gone through with the Joker had been a sham. A lie. Nothing between them had ever been anything close to love. It had been manipulation and misery. Lies and distrust. But this? Here? Now?

Harley glanced across the table at Dick and once again got lost in those amazing cobalt eyes of his. This was the real deal. He treated her like a person, he cared about her well-being and genuinely wanted to see her happy. Never in her wildest dreams could she have ever imagined it could be like this.

The rest of their meal was spent on idle chatter and endless flirting with one another. The night seemed to go on forever and Harley didn't mind one bit. But eventually the time came for them to go back to reality. He paid the check, of course and gave her his coat as they walked out into the brisk night air.

Then and there, in front of that restaurant, Harley Quinn turned toward Dick Grayson and rose up onto her tiptoes to kiss him. In that moment, she decided whole-heartedly and without any doubt whatsoever that she loved him.

She didn't say it out loud, of course. That would be too much, too fats. She was content for the moment just being with him. Together they climbed onto his bike and she hugged him tightly as they sped off into the night, not a care in the world between the two of them. At least, not for the moment.

"So, where can I drop you off?" Dick asked at a red light, turning slightly to admire those crystalline blue eyes of hers as they sparkled in the light of the street lamps.

She smirked at him and hugged him a little tighter. "Who says you're getting rid of me that easily, Bluebird?"

Dick got so caught up in gazing at her beautiful face that he didn't notice the light change until a car honked its horn at him. They headed east for another block or two, then cut south for another four blocks until they reached his apartment building.

He lived on the top floor, of course, and Harley was amazed to discover how big his place actually was. The main doorway led into a massive living room with a huge plasma-screen TV and state-of-the-art speaker system facing a couple of overstuffed, black leather couches. An expensive-looking area rug sat between them underneath an elegant steel-and-glass coffee table. Wide-faced speakers hung, suspended from the ceiling on chrome chains and there was a decorative, but not overly lavish-looking chandelier that clung to the ceiling in the center of the room. On the far side was a couple of fully-stocked bookcases and a mahogany desk with a rather sophisticated desktop computer and a lamp atop it.

Off to the right of the open living room was an enormous kitchen, consisting of a gigantic stainless steel refrigerator with double doors and a separate, horizontal freezer. Black and gray marble countertops were lined with dark cherry wood cupboards both above and below. The oven and stovetop were stainless steel and matched the refrigerator. A marble top island stood in the middle of the kitchen where several pots and pans hung on either side and a dozen or so coffee mugs were suspended from hooks above. Countless appliances littered the kitchen countertops, ranging from a simple black microwave to something that looked like a juicer on steroids. Lastly, off on the far end of the room, was a modest steel-and-glass kitchen table that looked like it matched the coffee table in the living room, and a couple of straight-back chairs.

"Holy crap. Nice place." Harley said, more to herself than to Dick, who simply smiled and took his coat from her shoulders and hung it inside a small closet that sat just inside the front door.

"You haven't seen the best part yet." He grinned, sliding his shoes off and taking her by the hand. Harley slipped out of her heels quickly and accompanied him across the hardwood floor of the cavernous living room. It was huge, but somehow didn't feel empty. He led her down a hallway at the other end of the living room. They passed an open door that led into a gargantuan bathroom and another that looked to be a darkened bedroom of equally impressive size. They then came to a set of double doors that abruptly ended the hallway.

Dick smiled at her and opened them, revealing a semi-outdoor pool enclosed by a massive glass dome. A smaller Jacuzzi sat off to the left of the pool itself and she was completely taken aback when Dick turned on the lights and the entire room was illuminated in what looked like a billion tiny stars on the ceiling, glittering against the night sky in almost every color imaginable.

Harley stood there, stunned from what seemed like an eternity. The lights on the ceiling shimmered and cast reflections on the surface of the pool, creating beautiful effects across the water. This place was beautiful. She walked slowly from the doorway to the edge of the pool and knelt down, trailing her fingers through the warm, inviting water. She glanced back to Dick, who sat with his arms crossed in the doorway as he watched her explore the room with a smile on his face.

Harley stood back up and discovered another set of double doors at the far end of the room. These were glass, however and slid open onto an exterior balcony that presented a breathtaking view of Gotham City. She unconsciously began walking toward the doors and stared out over the spires of light, illuminating the roadways below. The full moon shone bright over the horizon and cast its light onto the ocean waves off in the distance.

"So, what do you think?" Dick asked from across the room.

Harley turned to face him and found herself overwhelmed. Between the dinner they had shared, this unbelievably beautiful place and him, standing here with her, there were no words that could describe the flurry of feelings buzzing through her at that moment. This was the first time since her childhood that Harley could remember feeling truly happy.

"I think… this is perfect. Everything tonight has been perfect. And that's what worries me." She said with an edge of sadness to her voice as she turned and looked back out the glass doors.

"What do you mean?" Dick asked, suddenly concerned about this turn of events.

Harley folded her arms across her chest and rubbed at her shoulders. A chill had crept up her spine as horrible thoughts entered her mind, pushing away the moment of happiness she had enjoyed for a brief few seconds. She knew that The Joker was out there in Gotham somewhere. She knew that it was only a matter of time before he found her. She didn't want to go back to that life. But it seemed somehow inescapable.

"Good things don't last, Bluebird. Nothing lasts forever."

Dick gently took her by the shoulder and turned her around to face him, and she found herself again confronted by the dark cobalt blue of his intense eyes. There was fierce determination there, accompanied by an edge of darkness that she recognized as Nightwing. Tonight had been going so well that Harley had almost forgotten that this kind, gentle and sweet guy was also the same man that had thwarted countless criminals, herself included, time after time over the years.

"Well, we're going to have to see what we can do about that." Dick said, placing a hand at the side of her face. "We'll be okay. I promise."

Harley smiled at him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. As he wrapped an arm around the small of her back, she again felt all of her worries melt away for the moment. All that mattered, all that existed right now, was them.

A loud knock at the front door tore their attention from one another and Harley instantly tensed, fearing the worst. It was him. It had to be.

"Stay here." Dick said firmly as he left the room and marched to the front door. He readied himself for any and all possibilities. "Who is it?" He called.

"It's me. We need to talk." Dick immediately recognized Tim's voice on the other side of the door and pulled it open.

Tim Drake stood in the hallway with his backpack slung over one shoulder. The usually playful and nonchalant young man wore a look that suggested something serious was going on.

"Come on in."

Tim entered the apartment and quickly scanned the room. It was the training they had all gone through. No matter how safe or secure an environment seemed, you always took the time to look for potential threats or dangers. There were times that Tim felt that it was stupid, but it had saved his life on more than one occasion.

"So what's going on?" Dick asked, closing the door and turning to face the man who had inherited Dick's original mantle of Robin.

"Joker's going on. We picked up a trail at a warehouse near the Iceberg Lounge; or rather, what's left of it. He's been hijacking Penguin's weapons shipments."

"Oh, perfect. Any idea what he's planning yet?"

"Not yet. But we're working on it. I thought I should at least give you a heads-up."

Dick nodded, glancing back down the hallway. "I'll keep my ear to the ground and let you know if I come up with anything."

"Okay." Tim said, turning to leave as a loud thump came from down the hallway. Dick tensed, making Tim's curiosity grow even more. "You got company?" Tim asked, raising an eyebrow at Dick.

"Yeah, sort of." Dick answered. "You should probably get going. Find out what's going on with Joker."

"In good time, buddy boy. I'm interested now. Who have you got back there? You finally get a girlfriend?"

"Exactly." Dick replied. "Now why don't you get out of here and get some work done?"

Tim stopped and looked at Dick, his expression serious, while still holding a strong air of curiosity. "This isn't just you wanting time alone with somebody. You're hiding something. What's going on, Dick?"

"Nothing!" Dick replied loudly, again glancing down the hallway, hoping Harley hadn't heard him.

Both of them turned at the sound of a door opening down the hallway and Dick couldn't help but silently curse under his breath. Before Harley could make her way into the living room, Dick lurched out and grabbed Tim by the collar of his shirt.

"Right now, you promise me, you do not say a word to Bruce or Alfred or anyone else! I want your word, now."

Tim shrugged out of Dick's grip, studying his expression and realizing how serious he was.

"All right, fine. You've got my word. I just don't understand what the big secret is."

Tim turned to look back down the hallway just as Harley walked into the living room.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

Tim blinked at her. "Oh." He said as he turned slowly to face Dick. "Could I speak to you outside for a moment, Dick?"

Dick hesitated and glanced at Harley, who looked slightly confused. "I'll be right back." He said to her as he and Tim exited the apartment into the exterior hallway, shutting the door behind them.

"Are you completely insane?" Tim asked, careful to keep his voice down. "You do realize who she is, don't you?"

"Yes I do, and no, I'm not. She wants to change, Tim. She's ready to start over and I'm willing to give her a chance." Dick replied, trying hard to keep his anger in check.

"Oh, she wants to change? Did she tell you that? And you fell for it hook, line and sinker. She manipulates, Dick, it's what she does. She's playing with you."

"Tim, I don't expect you to understand. She's different now. I mean, come on, read her file. Every criminal offense on her record was perpetrated in conjunction with the Joker. He twisted her into a criminal, Tim. She wants to rebuild her life without all that, without him. I know she can be a good person, she just needs a positive influence to push her in the right direction."

Tim narrowed his eyes and looked Dick up and down. "You're sleeping with her, aren't you?" He asked, watching as Dick tensed. That was all Tim needed to know. "Damn it, Dick, you have to be smarter than this." Tim paused and slowly glanced back at the door, the back to Dick. "You told her, didn't you? She knows who you are, I mean who you really are. Tell me the truth, Dick, does she know?"

Dick hesitated for a moment before lowering his gaze to the floor. He had been dreading this moment, but it had to come sooner or later. "Yes. She knows."

"God damn it." Tim cursed. "Does she know about us? About me and Bruce?"

"No."

"Well, it's only a matter of time before she puts two and two together, Dick. I hope you're happy. You've put all of us in danger. I have to tell Bruce."

"Why? What do you think he's going to do about it? And besides, so what if she does figure it out? She's with me, Tim. We can trust her.

Tim laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, well, I'm not willing to risk my life on it. I'm glad you and your little girlfriend trust one another, but it's not good enough for me. As far as I'm concerned, she's still an enemy. I mean, for all we know she's feeding information to the Joker every time you turn your back. She can't be trusted."

Dick snapped in that instant and grabbed Tim by both shoulders, pinning him against the wall.

"You know, it's people like you that make it impossible for her to ever have a normal life again. All you see when you look at her is a list of crimes. All you see is what she was. You judge her for everything she's done in the past, but do you have any idea what she's really like? No. You have no interest in what she could be if given the chance. All she is to you is another target. Another mission. One more soul you can send back to Arkham so that you can sleep at night, knowing that you did a good thing and followed orders like a good little soldier. It's bullshit like that that's the reason I left."

Tim didn't fight back. He stood there and listened, unsure of what to think. He understood where Dick was coming from, but after everything that Harley had done, how could she ever be trusted? How could they be sure that she wasn't still loyal to Joker? And now she knew that Dick was Nightwing, which only complicated things further.

"I know." Tim said. "But you have to understand; we can't afford to be reckless. If Joker ever found out about you, or me or Bruce, what then? I get that you want to help her, and I sympathize. I just hope you know what you're doing."

Tim turned and walked down the hall, disappearing behind the elevator doors as they slid shut, leaving Dick alone in the hallway with nothing but anger, fear and doubt.

"Me too."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Dick walked back into the apartment and let out a deep sigh. He had been so sure of everything less than an hour ago, but now everything had been turned on its head. Nothing was certain anymore.

"So, who was that?" Harley's voice came, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Hm?"

"The kid, who was he?"

"Oh, that was Tim Drake, he's a friend."

Harley raised an eyebrow. "He looks a little young to be hanging out in your social circles."

"We both got taken in by Bruce Wayne when we were kids. I guess you could call him a little brother, of sorts." Dick replied, settling down onto one of the living room couches.

"Wayne? Does the guy just collect kids or something?" Harley asked, sliding down next to him.

"He has a thing for helping orphans. It comes from what he went through when he was a kid."

"Oh, that's right. His parents got killed, didn't they? I had forgotten all about that. Of course, it was before my time."

"Don't go hurling sympathy at him, he can actually be quite an asshole when he wants to be." Dick said with a smirk.

"So can everybody else." Harley replied. "So what did he want?"

Dick looked up and met her gaze, remembering what Tim had said about her harvesting information for the Joker.

"He was just reminding me that I've got something to do at Wayne Enterprises on Wednesday." He lied, deliberately not looking at her.

"You got an appointment at Wayne Enterprises? What for?" Harley asked curiously.

"No, not an appointment. I work there part-time. Bruce needs me to come in and straighten up a few things."

"Oh." She left it at that, satisfied with his explanation.

Dick sat in silence for a few moments, running everything Tim had said to him through his mind, extrapolating the outcome of what would happen when Bruce found out and trying to decide what he was going to do about the situation.

Harley stood up without a word and headed back down the hallway, casting a glance back at Dick, who looked up at her with confusion.

"Where are you going?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased, disappearing around the corner. A moment later, her blue dress came flying back out into the living room and landed in a glittering heap on the floor. Dick smiled to himself and stood up, heading down the hallway. He almost headed into the bedroom until he heard a loud splash.

Harley's head breached the surface of the pool as Dick walked through the door. She smiled playfully at him, bobbing up and down like a cork. Dick could tell from where he stood that she wasn't wearing anything. He smirked at her as she turned and dove back underwater, flashing her bare butt at him as she went.

Harley could hear him jump into the pool while she was underwater and he was treading water at the deep end when she came back up. The water enveloped her like liquid velvet and felt amazing on her bare skin. She was impressed at how quickly he had managed to strip down and jump in without her seeing. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her legs around his waist as he placed both hands firmly on her backside, holding her up against him.

Dick moved in and kissed her and she wrapped her arms around the back of his head, leaning into the kiss. Their tongues met and mingled with one another for a moment before he pulled back and began laying soft kisses on the side of her neck, every now and then nibbling at her and smiling at the soft noises and giggled that escaped her.

Harley began slowly lifting and lowering herself, pressing herself into him beneath the surface of the water. Her nails trailed up and down the bare flesh of his back. He repositioned his grip to hold her with one arm, his other hand coming up and finding her exposed breasts. He pinched and tugged at her nipple, bringing more noises from her. His other hand squeezed at the soft flesh of her ass as he steered them toward the edge of the pool and sat her there, parting her legs.

Harley watched with hazy contentment as Dick ran his tongue up the length of one of her thighs, then the other, teasing her until he finally planted his mouth firmly between her legs and eased his tongue into her. She cried out in pleasure and tightly gripped his hair, her other hand digging at his back. His tongue was doing circles inside her, finding her sweet spot along the way over and over again. Harley panted hard, little moans coming with each breath. He pulled back and found her clit with his lips, sucking at it until she felt like she was going to explode. She put both hands on the back of his head and felt him speed up, flicking his tongue into her clit again and again until she finally threw her head back and screamed in ecstasy. This only made him more tenacious as he lunged forward and gripped both her thighs tightly, probing deeper and faster with his tongue as she continued to moan and writhe against him.

Dick finally pulled back and allowed Harley a moment to catch her breath. She took his face in both hands and kissed him deeply, tasting her sweetness on his lips. He climbed out of the pool to join her and she immediately wrapped a hand around the length of him, smiling as she felt him harden at her touch. She stoked him up and down for a few minutes, relishing in the sounds that emanated from him. His mouth found her nipples and he took his time licking and sucking at them one at a time. Harley made small noises of pleasure before finally taking the entire length of him into her mouth, producing a hiss of intense pleasure from him. She giggled with him in her mouth and continued to plunge her lips up and down, feeling herself getting wet again. Out of sheer habit, she slid her free hand between her legs and slid one into herself, brushing her clit as she pulled it back out. She withdrew from him for a moment to lick her finger clean, then ran her tongue along the base of him before wrapping her lips back around and descending slowly, playing her tongue along his most sensitive spots as she worked every inch of him up and down.

She pulled back and shoved him onto his back, straddling his abdomen and lightly trailing her nails along his chest. Her free hand went between his legs and placed the tip of him inside her, drawing another hiss of pleasure from him. She lowered herself on top of him and moaned as he filled her up. She sat there for a moment before slowly pulling herself back up and holding there, watching the expressions of euphoria on his face. She rolled her hips, teasing the tip of him before plunging back downward and filling herself up again. A high-pitched moan came from her as she increased her speed, waves of pleasure washing over both of them.

Dick sat up and took her by the hips, effortlessly flipping her onto her stomach as he began drilling into her, thrusting harder with every cry that escaped her. His grasp on her hips tightened and he began pulling her to him. Her cries of ecstasy grew louder and more intense and he sped up, furiously pounding into her. A final gasp came from her as she threw her head back and screamed.

He never slowed down as she came and wave after wave of blinding pleasure washed over her. She sat up and pressed her back against his chest as he continued to thrust into her from underneath. She managed to turn her head and he kissed her passionately while his pace slowed inside of her. He withdrew from her and she lay on her back as he positioned himself above her. She used her free hand to guide him back inside of her and they both growled in pleasure as he began to pump in and out of her slowly.

Harley found herself gazing into his eyes as he hovered over her and she found that he was gazing right back into hers. She kissed him and felt him increase his speed and change the angle he was at and she moaned as he brushed her sweet spot. He obviously noticed and a small smirk appeared on his face as he began thrusting harder. He displayed his impressive strength as he picked her up and held her to him, continuing to hammer into her. She was now completely at his mercy as he stood up and held her out in front of him, now able to go deeper than before. Harley's moans and cries turned to screams of complete euphoria as he relentlessly pounded her. She threw her arms around him and succumbed to the most explosive and intense orgasm she had ever experienced. She begged him not to stop as her screams echoed throughout the room.

Everything became a blur as Dick furiously hammered into her, relishing in the screams he brought from her as he felt a shudder go through him. He fell to one knee and placed her back on the ground, never slowing his pace as he exploded inside her, a growl of pleasure escaping his mouth as he drew one final scream from Harley. Together, the two of them collapsed onto the floor, both of them basking in the afterglow.

While Gotham's newest pair of lovers were enjoying themselves, something far more sinister was happening within the walls of Arkham Asylum. Deep beneath the main detention level in a long forgotten sewer chamber, Warden Jonathan Meeks sat at a desk, studying intently on the proportions of the extremely delicate chemicals he was working with. It was a joyful activity, really. A bit of this, a pinch of that, a sprinkle more of something toxic and you were in business. Meeks smiled as he put the finishing touches on the latest batch of his creation and carefully placed it in the tumbler with the other vials. Soon enough his plan would come together and he would get the revenge that was so rightfully his. As long as the clown kept Batman busy, there was nothing to stand in his way.

Meeks thought back to the last time he had encountered the Batman. Meeks had been a different man then, of course. A different man with a different name and a different face. The plastic surgery hadn't been cheap, but it was the only way to get himself into this position of power at Arkham. All of these inmates, these monsters, all of them were like chess pawns at his command. At any given moment he could release another of them to wear down the Bat. Perhaps Clayface could use some exercise? Or maybe he'd unleash Killer Croc to keep the Dark Knight busy.

Meeks giggled to himself at how ludicrously simple everything seemed. It wouldn't be long now. Days, maybe a week until all of Gotham was tearing itself apart in the grip of chaos.

The loud metallic scrape of the door opening drew Meeks' attention to the relatively large figure that entered his work station. He stood close to seven feet tall and he was clad from head to toe in a metallic suit of armor that Meeks knew contained a temperature regulation system. This man needed his armor to survive. The people of Gotham had come to know him over the years as Mr. Freeze.

"Victor. Pleasure to see you; Come in, please."

Freeze walked slowly into the room without a word, closing the door behind him. He took a moment to examine what Meeks was doing and silently acknowledged that he understood.

"What do you think, Victor?" Meeks asked, gesturing to his vast chemistry set.

Freeze looked over the workbench and turned slowly to face Meeks, his eyes obscured by his thermal goggles.

"I think it's a crude and pathetic setup and that you're a lunatic for even attempting this. However, I am most intrigued by your proposal. So what do you need from me?"

Meeks didn't take any offense at Freeze's comments and instead withdrew a scrap of paper from his shirt pocket, handing it to Freeze with a smile.

"This chemical compound is the last ingredient I'll need to complete my masterpiece. However, it can only be synthesized in a sub-zero environment. No one knows cryonics quite like you, doctor. I would be most appreciative if you'd lend me your expertise."

"Save your appreciation. The only reason I'm even considering this is that you have claimed to possess the compound I need to make progress into Norah's treatment. You provide me with proof and then we'll talk."

Meeks grinned again and walked across the room to a small, keypad encoded safe. He opened it and withdrew a small vial of bright red fluid. He briskly stepped back to his workbench and placed a drop of the solution onto a microscope slide, gesturing for Freeze to examine it for himself.

Moments later, Freeze seemed satisfied.

"Fair enough. You give me the compound and I'll do what you ask."

"Oh no, my dear doctor. This compound didn't come cheap. You synthesize my solution and then you shall have your reward. It's only fair, especially considering that you yourself said that this compound is the only reason you're willing to work with me. If I give it to you now, what guarantee do I have of your cooperation?"

Freeze visibly narrowed his eyes behind his goggles.

"If you even consider double-crossing me, I give you my solemn vow that you will spend the rest of your days as a block of ice."

Freeze, with the notes on Meeks' compound in hand, turned and left without a word. Meeks went back to his chemistry set, unable to wipe the smile from his face.

To the far north of the city, beneath the dense forest, Bruce sat at his computer station, studying the list of items that had been in the Penguin's warehouse. If there was anything specific that the Joker was after, he had left no clue as to what it was. Nothing new there. Joker was an expert at hiding his intentions. It made sense for Joker to steal a cache of weaponry, but the question remained; what did he intend to do with them?

At that moment, Tim descended the stairs, holding a large ziplock bag. He joined Bruce at the massive desk and tossed the bag in front of him.

"I found that at the site of the fire. Seemed to be kind of obvious."

Bruce picked up the bag and examined the contented, finding a tarnished gold badge with the letters GCPD emblazoned on it. Bruce narrowed his eyes. It all made perfect sense. Joker was planning a takeover of the Gotham Police Department. Bruce stood and marched toward his locker room.

"Suit up. We've got work to do."

"Bruce, there's something else." Tim said hesitantly.

"What?" The older man said, stopping to face Tim.

"It's Dick. He's… well, he's been spending his time with Harley Quinn."

Bruce was silent for a moment, never taking his eyes off Tim.

"That's his decision." Bruce replied.

"Bruce, she knows he's Nightwing. He told her.

This again brought a moment of introspective silence from the older man.

"If he told her, then he trusts her. Like I said, it's his choice."

"But what about you and me? It's only a matter of time before she figures out about us."

"And if that happens, we will deal with the situation accordingly."

Tim crossed his arms and gave Bruce a look of disappointment.

"Harley deserves the opportunity to be a better person, Tim."

"And you really think she can change?" The younger man asked, obviously skeptical.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I've seen her try. I believe Harley truly wants to change. She just needs something positive to hold onto. But that doesn't mean we lower our guard. Give her the benefit of the doubt, Tim, but be alert when you're around her." Bruce advised, again turning to head toward the far end of the cave.

"After everything she's done, Bruce, what makes you so sure that you can trust her?"

"I never said I trusted her. But I want to. I'm not looking at what she's done in the past right now. I look at what she's doing now. The fact that she's even contemplating turning her life around. I focus on that; and it gives me hope."

Bruce studied the expression on the younger man's face for a moment or two, watching as the information and the philosophy sunk in. Bruce didn't blame Tim for his outlook. Bruce himself once thought like that. But after everything he had been through he had come to realize that not all of these criminals were as bad as he'd been led to believe. There were even a few of them that had helped him on occasion.

Even upon their first meeting, Bruce had been able to see the kindness in Harley's heart. She had appeared different. She seemed so out of place amongst creatures like the Joker. Bruce understood why, too. It was because Harley had never been built for that kind of life, it was something she had been molded into. There had been times when Bruce had wanted so desperately to save her from the psychotic, toxic relationship she had been locked into with the Joker. He had wanted to save her and bring her back to reality, but for some reason hadn't.

Bruce felt a pang of guilt at that thought. He had never truly put forth the effort to really reach Harley. He wondered how much misery and suffering he could have spared her if he had only acted sooner. But then the guilt was washed back by a wave of pride. Pride in Dick. Perhaps his first pupil had finally surpassed his teacher and had done what Bruce never could. Bruce desperately hoped that Dick had reached Harley, that he had given her something to latch onto and that he had given her the incentive to be a better person. Bruce silently wished them all the luck in the world.

"Bruce?" Tim's voice came and snapped Bruce out of his train of thought.

"Let's go." Bruce said as Tim followed him into the shadows of the cave, preparing to dive back into the fray.

*NOTE* Sorry this is so short and that's it's been so long since I've updated. Lots of stuff going on and I don't have as much time to write as I'd like.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Thick, gray clouds had moved in over the city and were threatening rain by the time Batman and Robin made it to the headquarters of Gotham's finest. From the adjacent rooftop, there didn't seem to be any sign of a disturbance. Everything appeared quiet.

"We've either beat the Joker here, or we're way too late." The older man said quietly.

"More than likely, Joker's waiting for us to get here before he springs his trap." Tim replied, never taking his eyes off the windows of the Police station.

Batman silently contemplated this possibility as he withdrew his thermal binoculars and scanned the building, knowing that nothing was ever this simple when it came to the Joker.

The readout on the goggles showed eight individuals inside the building, all of them at desks and each of them radiating a perfect 98.6 degree temperature. The longer Batman studied the environment inside the building, the more the situation became apparent. None of the people were displaying any movement. It was a trap.

Sudden movement caught Batman's attention and he quickly glanced up to the second floor and found another human form, this one quite obviously bound and gagged on the floor, radiating a steady 99.3 degrees and writhing in a futile attempt to get free.

"Hostage. Second floor. I'm going in." Batman said, standing and firing a swing line to the roof of a nearby building.

"It's a trap! You can't go in there alone!" Tim protested.

"No choice. If anything happens, you get him out of there."

With that, Batman leapt from the rooftop and felt the icy wind slice past his exposed lower jaw and billow the heavy cape behind him. He tucked his chin into his chest and rolled at the last minute, exploding through one of the windows to find exactly what he had expected.

At each of the desks that lined the room, a mannequin sat in a playful pose, each of them strapped with a small thermal heater and each of them painted with a familiar hideous grin. Batman disregarded them for the time being and began searching for the stairs, continually waiting for something to fall on his head or someone to leap at him from the shadows.

As he neared the back of the room, a dormant television set whirred to life, causing Batman to instantly tense and ready himself for combat. The static on the screen soon flickered to crystal clear, however and the image that came through made Batman instantly clench his teeth in rage.

"Hiya Batsy!" The Joker's unmistakable voice rang from the television screen. "You know, if there's one thing I can say about you, old boy, it's that you're predictable. Always swinging in just at the last minute to save the day and ruin my fun. It's kind of pesky. But I'm afraid this time, you're just too late. You see, I'm throwing a little welcome home party for myself and I find I'm short on guests. You and the rest of your merry brood are invited of course, but that's not quite enough for the shindig I had in mind, so I decided to extend the olive branch to some of our pals over there at Gotham PD. In fact, I think one of them is a close, personal friend of yours. Isn't that right, Jimmy?"

Batman watched with mounting fury as the camera panned right and revealed the already bruised and bleeding body of Commissioner Jim Gordon, strapped to a chair and breathing heavily.

"Don't mind the wear and tear, Bats," Joker continued, "Just trying to get our friend Gordy here in more of a party mood. And the same goes with the rest of the fellas over here. Everyone will get their turn, I promise you. So what do you say, Batsy old boy? I'll give you until midnight, day after tomorrow to come and find me and put a stop to all my shenanigans as you're so annoyingly prone to do. You win, I'll go quietly back to Arkham. I win, well, let's just say that if I win, you'll be sending your condolences to the grieving widows of Gotham's finest. Let the games begin!" Joker sounded off with a wild laugh as Batman kicked the television set across the room and was met with the tiniest sense of satisfaction when it shattered against the wall and the pieces landed in a pile on the tile floor, a trace of black smoke billowing up from them.

Batman continued his search and did eventually manage to find the stairs. He cautiously proceeded up them and nearly made it to the top when he felt his knee brush a thin, nearly invisible tripwire in front of him. Instinct told him to pull back but it was too late and he heard the metallic mechanism click from across the hall and let loose with a flurry of small darts, all of which missed him by fractions less than an inch. As they stuck into the wall, a familiar scent emanated from them; Sickly sweet, with a hint of sulfur. Joker Toxin.

If Joker had gotten the materials to manufacture his trademark weapon, the situation was far more deadly than Batman had realized. He hurried up the remainder of the staircase and made a beeline for the only remaining police officer in the building. The man was still writhing around on the floor, trying desperately to escape his bindings. Batman quickly made it across the room and helped the officer to his feet.

Click.

A single sound echoed off the walls of the empty room and Batman looked down to see an active hand grenade, painted with a smiley face, sitting where the officer had been. He hadn't been writhing around to escape, he had been trying to keep the spring loaded release mechanism in place.

Without thinking, Batman grabbed the officer and dove to the nearest window, even as he felt the heat and the force of the explosion at his back. He fired a line in midair as soon as he was through the glass and felt it go taut. He pivoted his weight on the line and his back smashed against the concrete of the adjacent building with the force of the blast. It hurt, but he'd live. He retracted the line and pulled himself and the officer to the safety of the rooftops.

Something wasn't right. Joker was a madman, of course, but this wasn't his usual modus operandi. There was no build to this. Nothing to gain. Even in his pointless schemes, Joker had always made sure Batman knew about them. The showdown between the two of them was the payoff for the Joker. So why the secrecy this time around? Why hide? It was almost as if he were using himself as a distraction. A decoy to draw Batman away from something bigger. The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes as Jervis Tetch's warning echoed in his ears.

_This is just the beginning_

Hours later and the sun was up, gleaming off the steel spires of Gotham City and giving the whole place a golden glow. It almost made the city seem cheerful. And, depending on who you asked on this particular morning, that's exactly what it was.

Dick had been surprised and a little disappointed when he woke up alone, but quickly smiled when he heard movement out in the kitchen. Out he wandered in nothing but a pair of jeans. He had been unable to find his shirt, but understood why when he got to the kitchen and found Harley, her golden hair tied up in her trademark pigtails, making coffee wearing his white dress shirt and nothing else. He stood in the mouth of the hallway for a few silent moments, watching her. She was humming to herself, a smile painted on her face as she maneuvered around the kitchen looking for this or that, completely content. Every so often she would reach for something on a higher shelf and the tails of his shirt would ride up, giving him a peek of her butt from beneath the flimsy material. As he stood there, he contemplated the maddening question of how she could manage to be unbelievably cute and undeniably sexy all at the same time.

For no readily apparent reason that Dick could find, she happened to glance in his direction and her blue eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Good morning." She greeted as her smile grew.

He returned her smile and began walking to the kitchen. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fantastic. Your bed's really comfy." She replied as she set a cup of coffee down in front of him and leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Thanks." He sipped his coffee and continued to watch as she helped herself to a glass of orange juice and leaned against the counter, gazing out the window at the skyline. "You got plans for the day?" He asked, bringing her attention back to him.

"Nope. Not yet anyway. I want to start looking for a job within the week, but I kind of want to take things slow for right now."

"Good. How'd you like to spend the day with me then?"

Harley's face lit up again at the idea of having a whole day together. "Sure! Doing what?"

"Whatever you want. Sky's the limit." Dick replied with a smile.

Harley was ecstatic, but a bit intimidated by that idea. Nobody had ever taken into consideration what she wanted, let alone been willing to cater to her for a whole day. She was a little unsure how to approach the situation.

"Maybe we could start with a little shopping?" Harley suggested.

"Sure. We'll go from there." Dick replied.

"Let me grab a shower first." Harley said, her excitement building the more she thought about the idea of having a whole day with her Bluebird to do whatever she wanted.

Dick smirked at her as she ran out of the room, heading straight for the bathroom. His mind, for some reason, wandered back to old memories of Harley when she had been the Joker's right hand. When she had been the enemy. Dick could remember quite a few times back when he was still wearing the red and yellow that Harley had given him quite the beating. Whether it was recent circumstances or just nostalgia, Dick smiled at the thought. It still seemed surreal; Harley Quinn, his…

Dick stopped in mid-thought and realized how far the situation had gotten. Was Harley his girlfriend? Of course they had been intimate with each other on over a dozen occasions now, but had his image of Harley shifted that much over the past couple of days? Did he trust her enough to consider his girlfriend?

_She manipulates, Dick, it's what she does. She's playing with you._

Tim Drake's voice floated into his mind and he shoved it away. He wouldn't believe that. Harley wasn't that kind of person.

_But she was, once._

"No!" Dick shouted aloud, thankful when he heard the steady sound of the shower running. She hadn't heard him. But the question remained, how much did he really trust Harley? How much _could_ he trust her?

Dick shook his head, tossing aside the ever escalating doubt that seemed determined to creep into his mind. Harley deserved a chance. She needed someone to believe in her.

"Bluebird?"

Dick's attention instantly turned to Harley, who stood across the room, clad only in a wet towel.

"Yeah?"

"You okay? You looked like you were on another planet for a sec."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just kind of got lost in thought for a minute."

"Well, I'm gonna go get ready to go. You should probably get dressed." She said with a smile as she turned and headed for the back bedroom.

Dick watched as she walked away, the doubt in his mind loosening its hold, but refusing to let go completely. He wanted to trust her more than anything, but couldn't shake the memories of all the things she had done. He hated himself for judging her on her past, doing the exact thing he had shouted at Tim for doing last night.

He again shoved his thoughts to the back of his mind and got up, heading to the back bedroom to get dressed, hoping that the events of the day would lend him some much needed certainty.

The fluorescent lights of the Batcave burned brightly, as they had all night. The dark circles under Bruce Wayne's eyes were highlighted by the glow of the multitude of computer monitors in front of him. He stared, emotionless at the security footage of the Gotham City Police station, watching as the Joker's thugs, aided by the cover of a gas cloud, stormed the complex and took out the officers, one by one. Each of them were bound, gagged and blindfolded, then hauled out of the building and into a waiting van, which drove off into the night.

Bruce had already tracked the license plate and traced the interior GPS on the vehicle, which had already been abandoned near the docks in Gotham East, most likely nowhere near the actual location where Joker was holding the kidnapped officers. As much as Bruce hated to admit it, he was back to square one.

"I'm back." Tim's voice came from the stairway.

"Anything?"

"I checked over all of Joker's old hangouts, turned up nothing. Wherever he is, he's covering his tracks really well this time."

Bruce turned his attention back to the computer screen, not really paying much attention to the display. Anything he could have learned from the security footage had already been taken note of. A rush of rage washed over Bruce, tinged with guilt and a sickening sense of failure. These men were depending on him to save their lives. He would not quit. Besides, with most of the greater metro Police Department kidnapped, the streets would become a criminal paradise.

Bruce stood up and briskly marched down the small staircase to the lower platform where his workbench sat.

"What is it?" Tim asked, following after him.

"Need to think." Bruce replied grimly.

"And you think tinkering with your gadgets is going to help?"

"Hasn't failed me yet. Hit the remaining police broadcasts, see what you can turn up."

Tim nodded and took Bruce's chair at the computer, hoping they would get lucky.

Hours had passed and Harley was having the time of her life. She and Dick had hit just about every store in the mall. He had bought her more beautiful dresses and outfits than she could count. She had taken a moment in the dressing room of one of the shops a while ago, a moment to take stock of the situation and realize that she had never been through anything like this. No one had ever catered to her in this way. No one had ever bought her expensive things or taken her out just to enjoy her company. No one had ever cared about her this way.

That was it.

Dick cared about her. That was what was different. It hit her like a ton of bricks and seemed so simple all at the same time. The Joker had never cared about her. She had been a toy to him. A tool. An expendable asset that he enjoyed playing with from time to time. But he had never cared. Dick cared. And he was the first person Harley could remember that did.

The tears came then, falling like liquid diamonds down her cheeks. The disastrous mess her life had been was suddenly laid out in front of her, clear as day. She had been used and manipulated for so long that it had become commonplace. She had accepted it because it was normal to her. Joker had picked away at her self-worth for so long that she had been nothing but an empty shell; a husk of a human being by the time she had finally made it out of Arkham. She had found Nightwing and expected things to go bad, but they hadn't. She had gravitated toward him out of habit; out of necessity. Harley had needed someone there to validate her existence because she no longer saw herself as worth seeing.

But everything was different now. She had found someone who cared about her. Dick cared about her and that one detail made her remember that she was a person. Not just a person, but her own person. She could make the decisions. She could choose what her life would look like down the road into the distant, unknown future.

As she dried her tears, Harley Quinn decided that her past, spent in darkness and pain and blood would no longer matter. And her future would be bright and wonderful, with the sun shining on her through a clear sky. A blue sky.

The day carried on and as the sun set, Dick's fears and doubts had disappeared. He couldn't explain it, but he felt… right. Whenever she gazed at him with those sparkling blue eyes or smiled at him, he felt it in his bones. Harley was different now. The minute traces of her criminal persona were gone. And in their place was someone altogether new. Someone lovely and sweet. Someone he wanted to hold and comfort. Someone he wanted to protect.

_Someone you love_

Dick didn't shove that thought away. He held onto it and examined it, even considered it. Maybe that was it. He glanced at her and caught the dying rays of sunlight played across her face and her sapphire eyes sparkled at him, a coy smile planted on her delicate lips. For the first time, Dick really realized how beautiful Harley was, and didn't hesitate to take advantage of the moment and kiss her deeply, feeling her lean into him as he did. He finally pulled back and took another silent moment to study her in this light, perfect contentment clearly seated on both their faces.

"Did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are?" Dick asked.

Harley was taken aback by this and the surprise was evident by her expression. It took only a moment for an even bigger smile to replace the one that had vanished only a few seconds before.

"No." She replied, unable to tear her gaze from his cobalt eyes. "But why don't you go ahead and tell me now?"

"You're gorgeous." He said, smiling as she pulled him in for another kiss.

The sun was gone only a short while later, leaving only an orange haze in the sky as Dick pulled up in front of Ivy's apartment to drop Harley off. Her smile hadn't vanished as they walked, hand in hand up the stairs.

Both their smiles vanished, however when they caught sight of the door, half-smashed and hanging off its hinges. Dick, acting out of habit, quickly moved himself in front of Harley and cautiously approached the apartment, peering inside.

The lights were still working, but flickered, casting eerie shadows on the carnage. Shards of glass and mangled plants were scattered across the floor and a few of the walls had been smashed through. The kitchen table was overturned, as were both the couches in the living room. The TV had been kicked in and was still smoking from inside the screen, while the curtains had been ripped off the wall and were lying on the living room carpet in tatters.

As Dick maneuvered himself through the kitchen and into the living room, he caught sight of something behind one of the couches. The prone and bleeding form of Poison Ivy, partially covered by the remains of a curtain, was on the floor, unconscious. Dick quickly ran to her and checked for a pulse, appalled at the physical damage that had been done to her.

Harley, who had begun crying, stood by as Dick checked her best friend's vitals. It took her a minute to register that this was actually happening. It felt like a bad dream. How could a day so perfect end like this?

A small sound, much like a weak moan came from Ivy and Dick pulled back from her as her eyes slowly opened. Harley was the first to step forward, eager to know if Ivy was going to make it.

"Red?" Harley squeaked, small tears still clinging to her cheeks.

"Hiya, Goldilocks." Ivy said weakly. Harley managed a smile as Dick stood up.

"Who did this to you?" He asked.

"Joker and his gang of worthless pukes. Think I killed a couple of them, but there were too many. They were looking for you, Harley."

"Me?" Harley asked, looking worriedly from Ivy to Dick and back again. "I guess I should have seen that one coming."

"Did you tell them anything?" Dick asked, concern very evident in his voice.

"Give me some credit, Grayson. I told them squat. I'm not about to betray one of the only friends I've got. Especially not for that fucking sideshow reject."

Harley smiled and squeezed Ivy's hand. "You're one in a million, Red." She said proudly.

"You bet your ass I am." Ivy replied with a smile as she struggled to sit up.

"Take it easy." Dick warned, trying to get her to lie back down. Ivy shooed his hand away and managed to pull herself into a sitting position up against the overturned couch.

"Quit fussing, Grayson, I'm not made of glass." She said with a scowl. Harley quickly came to sit beside Ivy, checking her injuries out. There didn't seem to be much wrong with her, other than a few scrapes and cuts, along with a pretty nasty bump on her head.

"They trashed my damn greenhouse, didn't they?" Ivy asked, looking to Harley, who nodded. "Damn it! I'm going to have to get to my other hideout; I've got herbs there to recuperate with. In the meantime, I want you to get somewhere safe." She placed a hand on Harley's chin, looking directly into her eyes as she spoke. She next turned her gaze to Dick, and held an equally serious tone when she spoke to him. "Get her somewhere where that damned clown isn't going to find her."

"Consider it done. Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine. Get out of here before they decide to come back."

"Red I don't want to leave you alone. Not like this." Harley squeaked.

"I'm a big girl, Harley, I can take care of myself. Now go."

It took some doing, but Dick finally managed to get Harley to leave Ivy's apartment and get back on the bike. A million thoughts and fears swirled through his mind now, but none of them were the same as the ones that had been eating at him this morning. No, these were different. These were worse.

"Where are we goin' Bluebird?" Harley asked as they ventured through the city.

"We're gonna drop in on some friends of mine. They can keep you safe."

There was a silent moment while Harley put two and two together and realized exactly what Dick meant. She clung tighter to him as the bike raced through the night, toward the forest outside Gotham North.

*NOTE* Thanks to those of you who bothered to give a bit of positive feedback. I had almost given up on this and it turned out all I needed was a few kind words to bring me back. More to come. Promise.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The lights of Wayne Manor burned brightly as Dick pulled up to the front steps. Harley looked terrified, as if she were waiting for some horrid creature to emerge from the house and swallow her whole.

"You okay?" Dick asked, pulling off his helmet.

"Yeah, sure." She answered, climbing off the bike, her frightened gaze never leaving the front door of the immense mansion. If she had assumed correctly, this was indeed the lair of the Batman. The same man that she had seen pulverize the Joker time and time again. The same man that she had stood face to face with on more than one occasion. The only man that scared her more than the Joker did. Harley knew that she was about to enter into his territory and she wasn't so sure she was going to come back out.

She jumped a little when the front door opened and she unconsciously hid behind Dick. She was surprised to find an aging gentleman in a tux, waiting for them with a small smile on his face at the open front door.

"Evening, Alfred." Dick said cheerfully. "The old man still awake?"

The man at the door made a disapproving noise, but never broke his stoic expression. "You and I both know that man never sleeps. Welcome home, master Dick."

"I haven't lived here for a long time now, Alfred." Dick replied, handing off his helmet to the older man as he entered into the front room of the house, Harley following very closely behind him.

"And who might this lovely young lady be?" Alfred asked, a very definite tone of approval in his voice, accompanied by the tiniest smile on his face. Harley smiled back, but couldn't shake the discomfort that wrapped itself around her like an itchy blanket.

"Alfred, this is Harley. Harley, I'd like you to meet Alfred. He pretty much runs the house."

"Nice to meet you." Harley said, trying her best to sound cheerful.

"Not Harleen Quinzel?" Alfred asked, looking to Dick, who nodded in reply.

Harley braced herself to be snubbed yet again for her past, knowing that this man must hate her for all the atrocities she had committed over the years.

"I must say, my dear, I've been a fan of yours for some time now." Alfred said cheerfully.

Harley and Dick both gawked at him, confusion played plainly on both their faces.

"Come again?" Harley asked.

"I'm quite fascinated by your writings on clinical psychology, particularly your theory on how an individual's psychological state can affect the physical environment."

Dick was stunned by this, as was Harley for a moment or two, before smiling at the older gentleman.

"Thank you. It's nice to know my work is being appreciated." She turned to glance at Dick and was surprised by the dumbfounded look on his face. "What?" She asked.

"Nothing. I just keep forgetting you're a psychiatrist." He said. Harley smiled at him proudly.

"I'll prepare you two something to eat while you attend to business." Alfred said, turning and spiriting himself away into some unknown corner of the house.

"He seems nice." Harley said, turning her attention back to Dick.

"Alfred's great. He practically raised me after I came to live here."

"Practically." A deeper voice came from a darkened corner of the house and Harley watched a tall, well-built man in his mid-thirties stride into the room. He didn't exactly look happy.

"Good." Dick said, his eyes meeting the other man's. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to go on a scavenger hunt for you. We've got business to discuss."

"You don't know the half of it." The older man replied, his eyes falling on Harley.

"Bruce Wayne, this is…"

"I know who she is." Bruce said, his eyes narrowing. "And I'm fairly certain by now that she's figured out who I am."

"Yes, sir." Harley squeaked. The sheer intimidation she felt in this man's presence was unbearable. Although, it was kind of neat to have a face to go with the costume.

"Good. Then I have three simple questions for you. Question number one. Do I have your full honesty when you say you're no longer connected with the Joker?"

"Yes, sir. I, I mean no, sir. I mean, I'm not with him anymore." Harley stammered.

"Good. Question number two. Do you understand when I say that you are sworn to secrecy regarding anything and everything you bear witness to inside this house?"

"I understand."

"Good. Question number three. Do you plan on making any kind of trouble for us while you're here?"

"Of course not." Harley answered. Bruce eased back and looked to Dick, his expression unreadable.

"Then we should get along just fine." Bruce stated. "Both of you, follow me." He turned and headed back into the shadows of the house. Dick followed, Harley staying as close to him as she could.

Bruce came to a grandfather clock in the front room and triggered an internal mechanism, watching as the clock slid to one side and revealed a long and dark walkway that led downward. Together, the three of them descended into the shadows.

Harley was terrified and held as tightly to Dick as she could, but was caught off guard by the sound of a waterfall. The walkway opened into a huge chamber flooded with light and Harley marveled at the beauty of this place.

"This is beautiful." She said softly, looking around.

"I don't think I've ever heard it called beautiful before." Tim's voice came from one of the upper platforms. Harley jumped at the sound of his voice, bringing an amused chuckle from Dick.

"It does have a certain homey charm." Dick replied, taking a moment to look around himself.

"We can comment on interior design later." Bruce said sharply, taking his seat at the computer monitors. "There's a lot you need to catch up on, Dick."

Dick's expression changed and he instantly became all business. "What's the situation?"

"Last night, Joker's men infiltrated Gotham City PD. They took everyone hostage and moved them to an as of yet undetermined location. He's said that we have until midnight tomorrow night to find them or they're all dead."

"What have we found out thus far?" Dick asked.

"We've got nothing." Tim replied. "His thugs ditched the getaway vehicle not long after the cops got taken hostage, which puts us back to square one."

"You check out his old haunts?" Dick asked, coming closer to the computer monitors.

"What do I look like, an amateur?" Tim replied. "That was the first thing we did. Found nothing."

"Joker's acting out of character this time around. I have a sneaking suspicion he's trying to keep us distracted from something else." Bruce stated grimly.

"Like What?" Dick asked.

"That seems to be the million dollar question." Tim replied.

Harley very cautiously stepped forward. "I think I might know where he is." She said, causing all three of the men to turn and stare at her.

Minutes later, the four of them were standing around a square table, staring at a three-dimensional, holographic map of Gotham City.

"Here." Harley stated, pointing to a sectioned-off part of the Gotham subway system. "Joker fought tooth and nail to get this place away from Black Mask last year, but he never did anything with it. Said he was saving it for a rainy day."

"It's an old service station just underneath the Bowery. It was walled off about six years ago, but some of the tracks still connect to the operating lines." Tim called from an adjacent platform, reading the info on the area from the computer screen.

"If Joker's got himself an operating subway car, he could keep himself mobile underneath the city indefinitely." Dick said, looking to Bruce.

"Not necessarily." Tim called again. "The tracks were retrofitted to accommodate the newer electric cars last year. In order for Joker to run those lines, he would need one of those cars. We just have to figure out which one's missing and trip the emergency override system. We do that, the whole car shuts down. It should make it a lot easier to find him if he can't move around."

"Get on it." Bruce said to Tim, then shifted his gaze to Harley. "Not bad, Quinn. Keep it up."

Harley managed a smile as Bruce walked away, then turned to face her Bluebird.

"See? I told you you'd fit right in." He said to her with a smile of his own.

Harley had to admit, something about this felt right. She had this sense of accomplishment, knowing that her efforts were going to actually help people, rather than hurt them. Still, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive knowing that Dick was going out there into the fray again. It wasn't as though she had expected him to quit doing what he had been doing for years on her account, but she was still scared of what could happen.

"Got it!" Tim's voice came again from the computer platform. "Subway car 23 was hijacked last week and remains missing. Now, I just need to pull up the override controls."

"Step on it. We don't exactly have a lot of time." Bruce's voice came from behind Harley, causing her to turn quickly and find herself face to face with the Batman himself.

Harley squeaked in surprise. Seeing him in costume this close to her was surreal to say the least. Even with the gruff demeanor still intact, it seemed as though he was a different person once he put on the mask.

"Consider it done. Car 23 is dead in the water. Or, tunnels. Whatever."

"Good. Suit up." Bruce said to Tim before turning his attention to Dick. "You too. It's going to take all of us to handle the situation."

"What about me?" Harley asked, still partially hiding herself behind Dick. "I want to help."

"No." Dick said, turning to face her. "This is going to be too dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Harley said, her expression turning to one of annoyance. "Have you forgotten who used to be the Joker's second in command? I've knocked you around more than once, Dick." Her attention turned to the Batman, his air if intimidation suddenly gone. "If memory serves, I even had you in chains one time. So tell me again how this is too dangerous."

"She's got a point." Batman said, slightly amused at the flustered look on Dick's face. "But Dick's right. If Joker spots you, this whole situation could become far more complicated than it needs to be. "

"Then don't let him spot me." Harley replied. "I know Batgirl's got a suit here somewhere, let me borrow it. He'll never see me coming."

There was a long moment of silence while both Bruce and Dick contemplated the situation, weighing the possible outcomes.

"Let her come." Tim's voice came from the upper platform. "She gave us the only lead we've got, I say she's paid her dues. Besides, it's not exactly like she lacks experience."

Harley smirked and planted a hand on her hip, waiting for the inevitable.

"Fine." Bruce said. "Don't make me regret this." He pointed off in the direction of the locker room and watched Harley head that way.

"Since when did you become her biggest fan?" Dick asked, looking to Tim, who was already in costume.

"Since she started making herself useful. Besides, wasn't it you who said to give her a chance?"

Dick silently agreed and headed off to get ready.

Harley had found the suit and had to admit, it looked intimidating even sitting on a hook. Not intimidating in the same way Batman was, just kind of scary in the sense that she had to manage to fit into it.

She contemplated the best way to manage it and finally decided to strip down to nothing and shimmy into the skintight costume. It was heavier than she expected and surprisingly comfortable. She struggled a bit to fit the suit around her butt and finally managed to slide it up to her waist. She was about to curse herself for gorging on that fondue the other night, but reminded herself that the costume was designed for someone else. She pulled it the rest of the way up and zipped the back. The thick material hugged her every curve and once it was on, felt almost as if she was wearing nothing. She happened to glance in the full-length mirror and nearly gasped at her reflection. The yellow bat symbol on her chest betrayed everything she had been and was more surreal to her than anything she had ever experienced. She pulled on the mask, which wasn't as comfortable as the costume, and was satisfied at how well it concealed her face.

"Harley Quinn, Batgirl." She remarked as she stepped out of the small locker room and back into the cave. She found the trio waiting for her, including her Bluebird in his costume. She had a quick flash of their encounter on the rooftop, but quickly shoved it away in order to focus on the situation at hand.

"I shouldn't need to remind anyone that there are lives at stake here." Batman said coldly, looking to each of them in turn "We can't afford any mistakes. Let's go to work."

Bruce and Tim piled into the Batmobile, while Dick motioned for Harley to climb onto the rear seat of his old Redbird. Together, the four of them sped off into the night, none of them knowing quite what to expect.

Jonathan Meeks strolled leisurely through the halls of Arkham Asylum, his footsteps echoing off the concrete walls of the cell block like the cries of lost souls that, no doubt, were all too real here in this sliver of Hell. His formula was nearly complete; all that was left was the key ingredient that Freeze was working on. Once that fool had finished doing his dirty work, the entire city would pay for what had been done to him. And no one, not even Batman would see it coming.

"Riddle me this, Warden." A voice rang out from a nearby cell. Meeks stopped and turned to face Edward Nygma. The so-called genius super-criminal known to the world as the Riddler, leaned lazily against the bars of his cell, staring directly at Meeks while twirling a felt-tipped marker through his fingers. "What kind of a bird is afraid of his own reflection?"

"Shut up, Nygma. You're not nearly as smart as you think you are." Meeks hissed.

Nygma only smiled in reply, his green eyes gleaming through the darkness like the eyes of a cat who'd just figured out how to unlock the bird cage.

"Whatever you say… doctor."

Meeks glared at the Riddler for a brief second or two before heading off to Victor's specialized holding cell.

Once the doors opened into the 'freezer' as the guards had taken to calling it, a blast of icy air hit Meeks in the face. He paid it no mind as he approached Victor, dressed in a casual prison-issue jumpsuit, colored blue to identify his special condition. He was bent over a table, lined with all manner of chemistry equipment, peering into a microscope.

"How are things progressing, Victor?" Meeks asked cheerfully. Freeze pointed to an insulated steel container that was pouring mist from inside it, no doubt full of liquid nitrogen.

"Another hour and your compound will be complete. I've taken the liberty of preparing you instructions on how to transport and handle it. These instructions must be followed to the letter, or the compound will lose molecular integrity and become useless."

"Excellent." Meeks smiled.

"I'm sure I don't have to remind you of our arrangement. I expect payment for my work."

"You'll get what's coming to you, my friend. I give you my word."

Meeks pulled his suit jacket a little tighter around himself as he turned to leave, contemplating the best way to go about things once all the pieces of his plan were in place. There was the Batman to consider, but Joker was keeping him plenty busy, no doubt. And with Gotham Metro detained, he only had to worry about an uprising from the inmates. Nothing he couldn't handle. Everything was going perfectly. Now it was just a matter of time.

The Bowery was a godforsaken sliver of Gotham City, hung thick with shoddy tenement buildings, boarded-up storefronts and a few fading reminders of Gotham's decadent past. Smokestacks billowing black clouds of poison stuck out from the Bowery's skyline, products of the old steel mill and the few factories that were hanging on to business.

Batman and Robin were perched on a rooftop overlooking the crumbling entrance to the old subway, while Harley and Nightwing were doing a quick aerial sweep of the area, making sure Joker didn't have any of his goons patrolling the area.

It had taken a little bit of practice, but Harley was quickly getting the hang of the grapple gun and how it worked. It still felt weird, being out on a mission with Batman, especially given what she was wearing, but she felt compelled to help. She knew that if she managed to pull this off, there would be no doubt in any of their minds that she could be trusted. This was what she needed to prove to them, and herself that she had changed.

The preliminary sweep had turned up nothing. With any luck, Joker had no idea they were on their way. One by one, the four of them convened at the top of the stairs leading down into the subway tunnel.

"No mistakes." Batman growled, talking to all of them at once as he turned and led the way down the steps.

The main chamber of the subway station held plenty of evidence that someone had been spending a lot of time there. Maps of the tracks beneath Gotham city were hung on the walls, shell casings from a variety of weapons littered the concrete floor and, worst of all, a table was set up with the remains of a chemistry set strewn about the top of it. Joker had been busy synthesizing more toxin.

There were two tunnels out of the station and no way of telling which one Joker had taken.

"Split up?" Dick suggested. Batman nodded in agreement as he and Robin took off down one tunnel, leaving Harley to accompany Nightwing down the other.

After what seemed like miles, Harley and Dick rounded a corner and caught sight of a subway car, spray-painted purple and surrounded by guards holding automatic machine guns.

Dick silently motioned for Harley to stay put and she nodded in agreement. Helping was one thing, but Harley didn't have a whole lot of experience dodging bullets. That, she'd leave to professionals.

Sticking to the shadows, Dick snuck up behind one of the thugs and clamped a hand over his mouth, simultaneously stabbing him at the base of his neck with one of his escrima sticks. He felt the jolt of electricity from the weapon go through the thug's body and let him slump silently to the ground below. He scaled up the side of the subway car as quietly as he could and got a bearing on how many more of them there were. He counted five and quickly went to work. He took point directly above one of them and dropped silently like a spider, planting his feet onto the shoulders of the man below him and felt bone break as the goon fell to the ground.

Dick cartwheeled back into the shadows, emerging directly behind and in between two more guards. He firmly grasped each of them by the side of the head and smashed them together as hard as he could, unfortunately garnering the attention of the other two thugs, who quickly converged on his position. He once again retreated to the roof of the car, waiting for an opportunity. The two guards split up and each took one side of the subway car, providing Dick with the opportune moment to slide down behind one of them and repeat his earlier technique, clasping the thug by the mouth and zapping him into unconsciousness. The final guard rounded the front of the car and Dick smirked as he fired a zipline, which wrapped itself around the thug's torso. As the line went taut, Dick hit the switch on his escrima stick to retract the line and simultaneously jumped, allowing the mechanism to pull him through the air and increase the impact of his foot against the goon's jaw.

All five of the thugs defeated, Dick motioned for Harley to join him and they began checking windows cautiously. It didn't take long to find the hostages, bound and gagged in the front car of the train. Dick and Harley both climbed to the roof of the car and popped open the access hatch, taking a moment to check below before dropping down inside the car. Dick immediately set about untying the police officers, but was caught off-guard by a shrill scream from nearby.

It seemed to happen in slow motion as Dick turned to see Harley snatched from his side by what appeared to be a retracting cable, much like his own device. She was pulled along the entirety of the car and into the next one. Dick immediately took off after her. He stopped short once he entered the second car, stunned by the reality of what he saw.

"Well if it isn't Bird-Boy!" The Joker cackled cheerfully, Harley held firmly in his grasp. "I heard you had flown the coop! Guess you can't believe every rumor you hear. Now, what is this that I have here? Friend of yours?"

"Let her go, you freak!" Dick hissed, a fiery rage boiling inside him. The only solace he had was knowing that Joker had no idea who she was.

"Now, now, name-calling will get you nowhere, Nightwing. And I'm certainly not going to just hand her over, what fun would that be? I have a much more amusing game in mind."

Dick watched with increasing anger as Joker pulled a small device from his pocket. It looked like a radio transmitter, but he couldn't be sure. Joker laughed as he hit a button on the gadget and the engines of the first train car fired up. Dick turned and watched in horror as the coupler of the cars was ripped in half and the car containing the hostages began to head off by itself.

"Time to make a choice, Boy. Your partner? Or the lives of Gotham's finest?" Joker laughed wildly as Dick stood, frozen and unable to make a decision.

Joker's laugh was cut short as he was hit with a kick to the kneecap.

"Go! I'll be fine!" Harley shouted. Dick hesitated, but knew that saving the police was the right thing to do. After all, Harley had said she could outsmart the Joker if she had to. He reluctantly turned and chased after the runaway subway car, leaving Harley and the Joker alone.

"Well, feisty little minx, aren't you?" joker taunted as he dodged a punch from Harley and backhanded her, knocking her to the floor.

Any affection Harley might have had for the Joker in times past was gone. All she wanted was to see him hurt. She stood up and kicked at him as he again dodged her. This time however, he reached for another device and she felt a sharp pinch, followed by a jolt in the small of her back. She fell, only then seeing the taser in the joker's right hand.

"Looks like I've just landed myself an even more valuable bargaining chip, wouldn't you say, Brat-girl?" He cackled again as he reached down and snatched the mask from her head.

The shock on his face made the pain almost worth it.

"Harley?"

The fury in her eyes burned like a thousand suns as Harley glared up at her former lover.

"Hiya Puddin'."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

On a separate track, Batman and Robin were taking their time, looking for any signs of Joker or the hostages. All had been quiet thus far, which led Batman to believe that they had picked the wrong track.

"You think they're okay?" Tim asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Nightwing can handle himself."

"What about Harley?"

"Her too."

Tim understood that Dick was older and had more experience than he did, but he couldn't help but feel a little inadequate when he was around. Bruce would never let Tim go off on his own like that. Tim knew that he could prove himself to Bruce if he had the opportunity, but it felt like he was never going to measure up to Dick in Bruce's eyes. Dick was the original, the first, the best. That was something Tim could never be.

Echoes of voices down the tunnel brought Tim out of his train of thought and he and batman both instinctively hugged the wall, using the shadows to their advantage. There were two of them, both with weapons of some sort. Each had a flashlight on the barrel of their guns as they walked nearer, engaging in idle conversation. The duo waited until the armed thugs got close enough, then sprung from the shadows.

Tim leapt from the ground and clenched the thug's neck between his knees, throwing his weight backward and hurling the man to the ground. There was a hollow metallic clunk as the man's head struck the steel rail of the train track, rendering him unconscious.

Batman's style was much more to the point as he grabbed the barrel of the thug's gun and tossed the weapon to the ground, then wrapped his massive hand around the man's neck, violently pinning him to the nearby stone wall.

"Where's the Joker?" Batman growled.

"Track B! He's on track B! I swear!" The thug shrieked, trying desperately to escape Batman's grasp.

"He's using himself as a diversion. What's the bigger plan? Who's behind it?"

"I don't know who's behind it! All I know is something's goin' down at Arkham! That's all I know I swear to God!"

Satisfied, Batman released the thug and landed a square punch to the man's jaw, watching as he slumped to the ground.

"We need to get to Arkham." Batman said coldly.

"What about the Joker?"

"You heard the man, he's on track B. Nightwing's on track B. With any luck he's found the hostages already."

Tim knew better than to argue the point and he followed close as Batman headed for the nearest surface access ladder.

On track B, Dick had caught up with the subway car and was frantically trying to locate the brake. He couldn't think straight knowing that Harley was on her own against the Joker. If he got the best of her and found out who was behind that mask, there was no telling what he'd do to her.

He located the brakes and the subway car came to a rolling halt. He made his way to the back of the car and released the officers, one by one. He was met with the bruised, but relieved face of Commissioner Jim Gordon.

"Nightwing. Have to say I was expecting someone else."

"Listen, you get to the surface and get on the phone with transportation authority. Let them know these subway cars are stalled on the tracks before another train comes along and we have an accident on our hands."

"Consider it done. Anything else I can do for you?"

"Find the Joker." Nightwing said as he exited the car and headed back up the tracks, hoping he would find her before it was too late.

The metallic taste of blood filled Harley's mouth, the cut on the inside of her bottom lip stinging like hell. Her right eye was bright red and was probably going to bruise up nicely. Her hands were bound and hung above her, suspended from an iron hook like a piece of meat. The Joker, furious at her actions paced in front of her like a jaguar. He wouldn't look at her.

"I just don't get it, Harley." Joker said, still refusing to cast even a glance at her. "After all I've done for you, all the years we spent together, this is how you repay me? Throwing in your lot with them? How could you?"

He finally leered sideways at her and his eyes were full of hate. She felt a pang of guilt at that. She had betrayed him. No, no she hadn't. He had used her all these years. She felt a swell of rage build up inside her again as she lifter her gaze to meet his.

"How could I? It was easy, all things considered. I just stopped caring about you, same as you never cared about me."

Joker clenched his teeth and growled at her as his hand came down across her face again and she spit fresh blood at him, only causing him to fly into a further rage. He withdrew a knife from somewhere and held it to the side of her face.

"Don't try my patience, Harley You're in enough trouble as it is."

Harley couldn't help but laugh at him.

"I don't think it's me who's in trouble. You forget who I've been spending my time with."

"And you think they're going to come and rescue you? After everything you've done? Face it, Harley. Bats doesn't care about you. You're a very, very bad girl."

"No! You made me a monster! Everything I've ever done was because of you!"

"Is it? Or did I just water the seed that was already there? It's always been you and me against the world, my dear. We were made for each other."

Harley was silent for a long moment, savoring the taste of her own blood and feeling the sting in her face. She studied him, the white of his face and the vibrant green of his eyes. She remembered all the times they had shared together, tainted by violence and pain. She remembered all the times she had been tossed aside when he was bored with her, or slapped around when he had needed someone to take out his anger on.

"Sorry, sweetie." She said softly. "It's over between us."

Joker's eyes swelled with rage again and he brought the knife down across her chest, slicing through the fabric of the costume. Harley winced at the pain of the shallow cut and felt the warmth of her own blood begin to slowly drip down her flesh. It was nothing. A scratch.

"Now, are we going to listen to reason?" Joker said sweetly as he violently grabbed her hair and tugged hard. "Or do I need to put a permanent smile on that face?"

"Do it." Harley hissed, smiling as his face contorted with anger. He swung the knife again, this time missing as she moved her head out of the way and kicked him in the chest, sending him tumbling to the floor. This whole time she had been working on picking the lock that held her wrists and she heard it click open.

Harley tossed her shackles to the floor and stepped closer to the Joker as he stood up, again swinging the knife at her. She kicked it out of his hand and brought her other knee up into his chin, sending him back to the floor as a line of blood trickled from between his lips. He moved to get up again and she kicked him in the ribs, flipping him onto his back.

She watched with a newfound intensity as he reached into his inside pocket for another knife and she let him swing it, effortlessly dodging it and pinning his wrist to the floor with her foot. She brought her other foot down on his hand and he screamed in pain as she felt the bone break beneath her boot.

"You know, when I think of all the dirty little things you've made me do over the years, it makes me sick." Harley spat. "But I understand. You needed me. You needed to know that you weren't alone and that there was someone else as disgusting as you in the world. So you picked me and worked your magic, twisting me into your puppet until all you saw was your own reflection in me."

Joker swung his other hand around in an attempt to grab her ankle and she easily hopped over his grasp and landed gracefully before kicking him in the face. She heard his nose break as well and he again howled in pain.

"But that was the problem, wasn't it? All you saw in me was yourself. And whether you want to admit it or not, you hate yourself. You always have. So I was the one who took the abuse, the beatings, I took the blame for everything you couldn't do. You couldn't measure up to your own expectations and you took it out on me."

"Shut up!" Joker growled, swinging his good arm at her again. This time, however, she simply stepped back out of his reach.

"For the longest time, I thought I was in love with you. That's the funny part. All the blood, the pain, the tears, I thought that's what love was. I was so convinced that what we had was real. But you aren't capable of love. You're only capable of manipulation and lies. You used me. And it wasn't until recently that I came to a conclusion."

Harley watched Joker struggle to right himself and she crouched to pick up the knife she had kicked from his grasp. She then kicked him onto his back again and straddled him, holding the point of the knife to his throat. She saw real fear for the first time on his face as she held his life in her hands.

"My conclusion is that you're pathetic. You're a husk of a human being. You're incompetent in every sense of the word. I was supposed to be your crowning achievement. A twisted mirror image of you that you made with your own hands."

Harley pressed the knife a little harder into Joker's throat and her eyes were blue fire as she glared at him.

"Take a good, long look, Puddin'. I'm nothing like you."

Harley stood then and dropped the knife on the floor. Joker watched in confusion as she headed for the door.

Harley reached for the door handle and felt fire in her leg, searing pain shot from her calf to her hip and she stumbled, turning to see the Joker holding a gun. She glanced downward to find a metal shaft sticking out of her leg, blood running down the back of her leg. She fell and couldn't find the strength to get back up.

"That's a shame, Harley." Joker said. "I had such high hopes for us. But if that's how you feel, I guess I can't change your mind."

He managed to get to his feet and reached for something. Harley's eyes went wide as Joker pulled a red hot branding iron from somewhere and held it menacingly as he smiled at her.

"Be that as it may, my dear, you still need to be reminded of who you belong to. You are mine, Harley. You always have been. And now, you'll never forget it."

As Joker moved in closer to Harley, he was swatted off his feet and grabbed by something. He looked around, panicked and confused as he was pulled upright and suspended, upside-down in mid-air. As the glass in the only window of the room exploded inward, Joker snapped his gaze in that direction and found himself staring into the toxic green eyes of Poison Ivy.

"Payback time, you son of a bitch."

Lightning streaked the sky above Arkham as Batman and Robin arrived. Dick had already confirmed the officers were safe. Batman was contemplating possible entrance points. The front door was too obvious, and whatever was going on in there, Batman didn't want to announce his presence too soon. The clock tower was probably the best bet to slip in unnoticed.

"I'll take the tower." Batman said quietly to Tim. "You take the maintenance entrance into the basement."

Tim was thrown for a minute. Had Bruce just told him to go off on his own?

"Okay." Tim said.

The two of them headed off in opposite directions as thunder crackled in the sky above.

Tim swung around to the rear of the building and up onto a ledge, where there was a steel vent bolted in place. He made quick work of removing it as he crept inside and found himself in one of the maintenance rooms.

The network of hallways outside the room led him into the derelict basement of the Asylum. Cracked concrete walls held rusted steel doors in place, while spider webs hung from the ceiling like death shrouds. This place was definitely creepy. Warning signs caked with dust were hung here and there, cautioning visitors and workers alike of the dangerous prisoners that could potentially be lurking around any corner.

Tim felt no fear, but he was much more alert in this type of environment. The dangers of this place were endless and Tim didn't plan on wasting this opportunity to prove to Bruce and to himself that he could do this on his own. He reached around and retrieved the collapsible, carbon-fiber staff from the loop at the back of his belt. He probably wouldn't need it, but he felt better with it at the ready.

It was moments like this, when he was in the dark and by himself that it really occurred to him what he was doing. He was little more than a kid, inside an asylum full of hardened murderers, wearing a colorful costume and a mask, with nothing to defend himself but a grappling hook and a metal stick. The funny part about the situation was, he was the second kid to do this exact thing. He often wondered if Dick had experienced moments like these during his tenure as Robin.

His thought wandered as he found the service elevator that led up to the ground floor and he wondered if he should risk taking it. He decided to use the access ladder instead and maintain stealth. The grapple gun at his belt proved to be quite useful and he made it upstairs in no time.

The air up here was different. Colder. There was a smell here that wasn't present in the lower levels.

"Good evening."

Robin spun quickly around and was faced with Warden Jonathan Meeks smiling at him.

"Warden. Sorry for sneaking around, we're just checking things out."

"Not at all. I feel much safer, knowing the dynamic duo is keeping an eye on things. One can never be too careful, after all."

"Right." Tim said. "Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary here tonight?"

"Out of the ordinary? I can't say as I have. All quiet here at cozy, old Arkham."

Tim cocked an eyebrow. This guy was beginning to give him the creeps.

"Well, I'm going to go and find my partner, let him know everything's okay, then." Tim said, turning to walk away.

"Of course." Meeks replied. "There is just one more thing though, if you don't mind."

"What's that?" Tim asked turning back around, only to get a face full of some kind of aerosol. He tried to swat the cloud away, his vision becoming blurry as Meeks stood there, smiling at him.

"Just curious as to what you're so afraid of, Boy."

The air inside the clock tower was musty and smelled like rotting wood and rust. The stairs were ancient and didn't look like they could handle the weight of a rat let alone the weight of Batman. He decided to attach a grapple line to the internal clockwork mechanism and slowly lower himself down from there.

The third floor of Arkham was mostly offices and a few private therapy rooms. It wasn't until batman made it down to the second floor that things got interesting. The main hall had a chemical smell to it. Not cleaner, but some kind of coolant. The air conditioning systems wouldn't be running at this time of year.

Batman, utilizing his past experiences in this place, knew instinctively that the smell was coming from the advanced holding cell where Victor Freeze was kept. He headed down one of the main corridors and cut through a short ventilation shaft, exiting into Freeze's cell. The cooling systems were obviously off. Guessing, Batman would have guessed it was fifty, maybe fifty-five degrees in the room. Victor couldn't survive long outside of an area warmer than thirty degrees. He scanned the room and noticed an overturned table amidst broken glass. Obvious signs of a struggle.

As he neared the remains of the table, Batman found Victor Freeze, lying on the floor and struggling for breath.

"Freeze!" He yelled, rushing to help Victor to his feet.

"Batman. You're… too late… he's already… started."

"Don't talk. Where's your suit?"

Freeze pointed to a high-tech locker built onto the far wall. Batman stood and went to it, hacking the electronic lock with ease and retrieving the suit. It took a few minutes, but he managed to get Victor into his cryo-suit, probably saving his life.

"Victor, what's going on here?"

"It's Meeks." Freeze replied. "He's planning to release some kind of chemical into the sewer system. Down near the pipe works where the sewer runs into the water treatment facility."

"Meeks? The Warden?" Where is he now?"

"I don't know. He took a compound I synthesized for him and shut down the cooling unit in here."

"You've been helping him?"

"He offered to exchange a compound I synthesized for something that could help Norah. I didn't know what he was up to until it was too late." Freeze looked sincerely sorry as he explained the situation.

"I could use your help, Victor."

"You saved my life, Batman. I owe you at least that much. But we don't have much time."

"Then we'd better hurry. What's the quickest way down to the pipe works?"

"There's a maintenance route downstairs, it leads straight to the sewer access tunnels. Follow me."

Freeze led the way to the access tunnels on the first floor, Batman following close behind. It didn't take long for them to reach the junction point where the sewer veered off toward central Gotham. Nothing, however could have prepared them for what they found.

Six empty steel containers sat in a pile next to the water's edge. A bright yellow, syrupy substance still clung to the openings of the canisters. Batman instantly recognized the style of container, and the substance inside them.

Fear toxin.

"Crane." Batman growled.

"Meeks is the Scarecrow." Victor realized.

"He disappeared five years ago after our last confrontation. He must have gone through an extensive surgical procedure to change his appearance, paid off the city council to get appointed Warden of Arkham and utilized the resources and inmates at his disposal to organize his revenge scenario."

"We need to get ahead of the current if we're going to stop the toxin from hitting the water supply." Freeze pointed out, withdrawing his signature freeze gun and aiming it at the water. He fired, freezing a section of the sewer canal to form a raft.

"Good thinking." Batman said, hopping onto the slab of ice. Freeze followed suit and Batman fired a grapple line as far as he could, then triggered the recoil mechanism, pulling them through the water faster than the current could.

A few twists and turns later, the pair of them arrived at the water treatment facility.

"What now?" Freeze asked.

"Stop the flow coming in for as long as you can." Batman replied, locating the control console for the feeder tubes. If he could find an emergency shutoff valve or an override switch, he could put a stop to this.

"I'll buy you some time." Freeze shouted back, firing into the oncoming flow, hoping the ice would hold long enough.

Tim woke up, lying on the floor of Arkham's main hall. Everything was fuzzy and he couldn't remember exactly what he was doing here. There was someone he was looking for, but it was all a blur. He looked around, trying to get his bearings.

"What are you doing?" A familiar voice rang out. Tim could barely make out a figure clad in black and blue leaning against the far wall.

"Nightwing?"

"Yeah. What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for someone. I think."

Nightwing laughed. "You think. You can't even remember what you're doing. Why do you bother, Drake?"

Tim's vision cleared substantially and he was able to take into account what was said to him.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me, Tim. You're nothing but a screw-up. A burden. The only reason you're wearing that costume is because I left it behind to be filled. You're a second-rate replacement, Drake. A poor substitute. Batman doesn't need you. All you do is hold him back."

"That's not true." Tim said softly.

"Of course it is! You know it's true. I was always Robin, Tim. You're a punk kid who got brought in because you made a lucky guess and Batman couldn't leave you out in the real world to spill the beans. And like any second child, you got all my hand-me-downs. The suit, the name, the bike. Only thing is, I never needed Batman to hold my hand."

"Shut up!" Tim yelled.

"Did I strike a nerve, Timmy? You're a rank amateur who's never going to measure up to my legacy. Batman trusts me more than he'll ever trust you, and you know it. So why not just give it up and go home? It's past your bedtime anyway, kid."

"No!" Tim screamed, lunging at Nightwing, only to hit another dizzy spell and stumble. He clutched at his head as the world spun around him, all the while fighting back the fear and doubt that was seeping into his mind.

"Tim."

He spun around again,. Suddenly clear-headed again, and found himself in the Batcave, staring at his mentor.

"Tim, you've done enough. Playtime is over. I want you to give it back now."

"What?"

"The suit, Tim. You know it's not yours. You've pretended long enough, now it's time to give it back."

Tim stared, dumbstruck up at Batman.

"No, it's mine. I'm Robin."

"No you're not, Tim. You never were. That suit belongs to someone else. Someone who actually knows what they're doing. It's time for you to go and play somewhere else, Tim. The grownups have real work to do now."

"Bruce…"

"Now, Tim."

There was a long moment of silence as Tim stared up at Bruce, trying to comprehend what was being said to him. Why was this happening? Hadn't he done a good enough job? Hadn't he proven himself?

He thought back to the countless times he had fought at Batman's side. The countless nights that Bruce had smiled at him in approval. The lessons Bruce had taught him.

_This suit is yours now. You are Robin and no one can take that away from you_

"No." Tim whispered.

"This isn't a game, Tim."

"No!" Tim shouted and threw a punch at his mentor's face. He felt it connect, felt the dull pain shoot through his hand and wrist. He heard Bruce hit the floor.

Another wave of dizziness hit Tim and he struggled to stay on his feet. His vision cleared quicker this time, and he found himself back in the main hall of Arkham, the unconscious body of Jonathan Meeks. Tim moved to help him up, but stopped when he saw what the Warden had clutched in his right hand.

A brown leather mask, fitted with dual air purifiers and marked with the distinct features of a ghastly demon. A demon that should have been in a cornfield someplace.

"Scarecrow." Tim whispered to himself. He looked to the Warden's left hand and found a glove, fitted with hypodermic needles attached to the four prominent fingers.

Meeks was the Scarecrow? It didn't make any sense. But it didn't make any difference either. Tim withdrew a pair of cuffs from a pouch on his belt and restrained Meeks. Now to get the bastard to a holding cell.

"I don't know how much longer this is going to hold, Batman!" Freeze yelled, as he continued to use his ice gun to hold back the contaminated water. If the ice gave, the weight and velocity alone would wash both of them away.

"Just a few more minutes!" Batman yelled, trying desperately to find an emergency override control for the feeder tubes. If he could get the hydraulics to kick on and the tubes to lift, the contaminated water would be washed down into the sub-sewer and out into Gotham Harbor, where it would become diluted enough to be considered harmless.

"Hurry!" Freeze shouted, continuing to fire at the quickly cracking ice walls. "If this gives, we're done for!"

Batman was scanning the consoles as quickly as he could, finally locating a silver key. He turned it and was slightly taken aback when the bright yellow caution light kicked on, accompanied by the screech of a siren. With the key turned, a small hatch opened on the console, revealing a round, red button. Batman pushed it and watched with anticipation as the tubes folded up and out of the water.

"Okay that's it, let's get out of here!" He yelled to Freeze, who quickly ran to join Batman at the console.

"Any ideas for an escape plan?" Freeze asked. Batman glanced upward and found a sewer maintenance hatch atop a shaft, but the rungs of the service ladder were broken.

"Grab ahold." Batman said as he fired a grapple line up onto the only rung still left in the wall. He just prayed it held. Freeze held tight as the two of them were lifted up to the top of the shaft. Batman shoved at the hatch, but the cover wouldn't budge.

"Watch your eyes." Freeze said, firing his gun at the manhole cover. He held it until the whole thing was completely frozen through. "Try it now."

Batman again shoved at it and finally punched the cover itself and it shattered with the impact.

The two men climbed up and out of the hole, finding themselves in the grass just outside the walls of Arkham Asylum.

"Thanks." Batman said as Victor helped him to his feet. "For everything."

"It's as I said, Batman, you saved my life. The least I could do was help you."

"Now, to find Crane."

Tim closed the door to the cell and locked it shut with Meeks inside. He didn't understand what was going on, but at least now he didn't have to worry about a psychotic Warden.

"Not bad, kid." A voice came from the cell next door. Tim walked over and looked inside to find Edward Nygma lying on his bed.

"Riddler?"

"I highly doubt your predecessor could have bested Crane so quickly."

"Crane? You mean Meeks was the real Scarecrow?"

"Not too bright, though. Guess that's a trait all you Redbirds share."

Tim stared at Riddler for a moment, then glanced back to Meeks. Or Crane, whoever he was. Had he just defeated the Scarecrow single-handedly?

Tim contemplated this as he headed back downstairs to continue his search for Batman. He was surprised, however to find Batman waiting for him in the main hall, with Mr. Freeze.

"Robin. You're all right?" Batman asked, looking him up and down.

"Yeah. I suppose you're looking for Scarecrow?"

"Yes. You've seen him?" Freeze asked.

"He's in a cell upstairs." Tim stated, gesturing with his thumb.

"You defeated Crane by yourself?" Batman asked.

"Apparently."

"I'm very impressed." Batman said with a smile.

"As am I." Freeze added.

"Victor, I think you should know, I'm going to write a recommendation for parole once we get back to Gotham. You demonstrated tonight what kind of man you can be if given the opportunity. I won't forget that."

"I greatly appreciate that, Batman. But the two of you should be going. I know the joker is still out there somewhere."

"Take care, Victor."

With that, Batman and Robin headed back to Gotham, determined to find the Joker.

"Ouch, damn it!" Harley yelled as Ivy tried to pull the metal shaft from the back of her leg.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you'd stop wiggling around."

"Well, it hurts!" Harley pouted.

"Of course it hurts. You've basically got a knife in your leg and you expect it not to hurt? Hold still." Ivy scolded, again gripping and pulling on the chunk of steel.

"This isn't over, you tree-hugging whore!" Joker shouted, still suspended from the ceiling across the room.

Ivy had probably broken his cheekbone, so it was amazing he was still talking. Topped off with the cuts and scrapes from all the thorns and the nasty rash he was going to wake up with tomorrow, Joker looked pretty ragged, to say the least.

"Yes it is, clown. You're just too stupid to realize it." Ivy replied, not bothering to look at him.

Harley let out a pained scream as Ivy finally pulled out the piece of metal, quickly covering the hole in Harley's leg.

"Behold, Excalibur!" Ivy exclaimed proudly. "Jesus, that thing was in there deep, wasn't it?"

"You think?" Harley snapped sarcastically. "God damn it that hurts!"

"Not half as much as it's going to hurt when I get down from here!" Joker yelled again.

"Let me get this straight, Harley, you had him. You had a knife to his throat, and you let him live, after everything he's done?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

Harley looked to Ivy with the utmost kindness, and her eyes turned to blue fire once again when her gaze shifted to the Joker.

"Because if I had, I'd be no better than him."

Ivy stood in silence for a moment, taking into consideration what Harley had just said.

"You're a good person, Harley." Ivy said softly.

Harley just smiled back at Ivy.

"Oh, please shut up before I puke." Joker spat from across the room.

"Could you, please?" Harley asked Ivy, gesturing to Joker.

"By all means." Ivy replied, watching as one of her vines wrapped itself around Joker's mouth, silencing him.

The two girls smiled at one another, enjoying the quiet.

As Ivy was mending Harley's wounds, Joker's hands were busy sawing through the vines that held him in place. He smiled beneath the plant as he felt the last fiber snap and his hands were free.

Using his good hand, Joker ripped the vines off his feet and landed hard, righting himself instantly and heading straight for Harley. The girls had no time to react as he raised the knife above his head.

Before he could swing, however, there was a sharp pain in Joker's chest and he looked down to see a triangular device stuck to him. The metal of the contraption lit up bright blue and Joker felt a hard jolt of electricity hit him, sending him to the floor.

The girls looked around, finding Nightwing standing in the doorway of the room, holding a control for the device.

"Bluebird!" Harley shouted, reaching for him. He knelt down and embraced her. He happened to glance at Ivy, who looked shocked to discover that Harley's handsome boyfriend was actually Nightwing.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Joker choked from his slumped position on the floor. "Him?"

"That's right Joker." Dick stated firmly. "Harley's mine now. Keep that in mind next time you get the notion to put your hands on her."

The three of them watched Joker's eyes roll back in his head as he passed out. None of them could tell if it was from the pain he was in, or the shock of seeing Harley with Nightwing. They all silently decided that it didn't matter.

"So this is your big secret, huh Grayson?" Ivy asked.

Dick just smiled at her.

"Say no more. My lips are sealed."

Dick helped Harley to her feet and put her arm over his head to help her walk.

"Thanks for the help, Ivy." Dick said, looking to the unconscious body of the Joker.

"Think nothing of it. Harley did most of the hard work, after all." Ivy replied.

The loud metallic scrape of the main doors opening downstairs drew the attention of the three of them. They turned to watch Batman and Robin burst into the building.

"All clear, guys. Joker's down for the count." Dick called to them.

Bruce and Tim exchanged surprised glances as Dick and Harley shared a kiss.

"Ugh. Get a room, would you?" Ivy teased.

An hour later, Batman stood back at the front steps of Arkham Asylum, the Joker in tow. He was met by Commissioner Gordon, who looked very pleased to see the Joker going back behind bars.

"Nice work, Batman. How'd you bag him this time?"

"I didn't."

"Then who?" Gordon asked, confused

"Harley Quinn."

Gordon was visibly shocked. "Why?"

"Hell hath no fury, Jim." Batman said with a smirk. "So who'd they get to fill in as acting Warden?"

"Me." Gordon replied. "It's only until we can find somebody else to take on the job."

"Keep a sharp eye while you're here." Batman warned.

"Oh, by the way, I got your letter regarding Victor Freeze. He's being released tomorrow morning. I thought you should know."

"Thanks, Jim. Take care." Batman said as he ascended into the night, leaving the joker's unconscious form at Gordon's feet.


	10. Chapter 10

3 Months Later

The sun shone bright and high in the brilliant blue sky. It was quite warm in Gotham City for mid-May. Harley was standing on the balcony of Dick's apartment, staring out over the city without a stitch of clothing on. It was a funny habit she had taken to since moving in. It just felt liberating for some reason.

"Babe!" Dick's voice came from inside. Harley reluctantly turned and walked back inside, finding her Bluebird standing at the kitchen counter.

"Yes, Honey?" She said with a smile.

Dick held up a small blue and silver box, tied with a bow.

"Happy birthday."

Harley squealed with delight as she took the box and kissed him, quickly sitting at the kitchen table to open it.

She found a pair of silver and sapphire earrings inside. The same ones she had been eyeing for weeks now.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed, pouncing on Dick and throwing her arms around him.

"You're welcome." He said with a chuckle. "But that's not all you're getting, you know. The rest of your presents are going to have to wait for your party. Which reminds me, you should get dressed, we need to get going."

Harley made a pouty face at the mention of clothes. Dick knew that it was Ivy's influence. Harley spent the night over there sometimes and he knew Ivy didn't wear jack unless she had to. Nevertheless, she turned and headed for their bedroom to get dressed.

Dick sipped his coffee and gazed out the window. The last three months had been amazing. He and Harley were closer than ever and he had admitted to himself that he was madly in love with her, and had been for some time. The trouble coming out of Arkham had come to a halt after Victor had volunteered to fill in as the acting Warden. Harley had regularly been accompanying him out on patrol at night. They had even made a regular habit of stopping by their old rooftop. Bruce and Tim had come to accept Harley as a member of the family and Alfred had been overjoyed when Harley had started writing again. Dick was happier now than he could ever remember being.

"Ready." Harley called from the hallway and came out wearing a modest length powder blue dress with sparkles and a pair of black strappy shoes. Together they headed downstairs and got onto Dick's bike.

After navigating the curvy roads of Gotham North and arriving at Wayne Manor, Harley was greeted with hugs and birthday wishes from everyone. Ivy showed up, of course and Harley was glad when everybody seemed happy to see her.

It was during dinner that Harley got her biggest surprise thus far today. Bruce stood up and raised his glass.

"I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to a wonderful person. A person that I'm very proud of. A person who has come a long way to be where she is today. A person that I'm very happy to call my friend, and a member of my family. Happy Birthday, Harley.

She had fought back tears when Bruce made that little speech. Her life had changed so much in the last three months. She had never been surrounded by so many people that loved her and cared about her. She had never been a part of a real family before. Everything was different now. And she loved it.

After dinner, Bruce pulled Harley aside.

"I have something for you. Call it a birthday present."

"Really? What'd you get me?" She asked excitedly.

"Follow me."

Bruce led her down into the cave and showed her into the locker room where she had suited up for the first time.

Hanging on a hook, was an armored, slightly altered version of her original red and black costume, but done up in black and blue. There was no headpiece, just a black mask.

"I thought you might be getting tired of borrowing a suit that isn't yours, so I took the liberty of making something a bit more you."

"I love it!" Harley exclaimed happily, wrapping Bruce up in a hug. "Thank you so much."

"You're one of the team now, Harley." Bruce said with a smile.

Minutes later, Harley re-emerged from the cave and ran straight to Dick to tell him all about her new suit. He listened and smiled, all the while getting lost in those amazing blue eyes of hers. As she spoke, she found herself drowning in his cobalt eyes as well, losing her train of thought in mid-sentence. She tossed aside whatever it was she had been talking about and kissed him, long and deep and passionate. He recognized the look in her eyes when she pulled back.

"Upstairs?" He asked.

"Upstairs." She nodded.

The two of them burst into the bedroom they kept here at the mansion and locked the door behind them. It had been like this for months between the two of them and it didn't show any signs of slowing down. All it took was a touch, a look, a whisper to set one of them off.

Harley had gotten Dick stripped down to his jeans when he unzipped her dress and it fell to the floor.

"You're not wearing underwear." He said, a sly smile on his face.

Harley shook her head, returning the same smile.

"You naughty thing." He said, removing his jeans to match her.

She nodded, her smile growing wider as she resumed kissing him.

It didn't take long before his fingers were brushing between her legs and she was making soft moans in his ear. He was laying soft kisses on the flesh of her neck, raising goosebumps in his wake. She gently ran her nails up the length of his back as his free hand caressed her left breast.

Harley shoved him onto his back and straddled him, gliding her sweetness back and forth along the length of him, seductively smiling at the noises she produced from him and making small noises of her own from time to time.

After a few teasing moments, she shifted her weight and slowly lowered herself onto him, feeling his full length inside her. The expression on her face was pure ecstasy and it was Dick's favorite thing in the world. She rode him gently, up and down, making soft moans while she bounced, steadily increasing her speed until she was pounding herself against him. she reached down with a free hand and did tight little circles against her clit until she came, riding the pleasure wave like a jackhammer against him.

She took a moment to catch her breath and he maneuvered her onto her knees and took her from behind. Her perfect skin glistened in the moonlight as he slowly built speed back up and savored every small cry that came from her. She rolled herself over and grabbed ahold of the headboard, lifting herself up so she could look into his eyes. She arched her back and moaned as he brushed her sweet spot over and over again and she had to put a finger in her mouth to keep from making too much noise. She began riding the wave again, thrusting herself against him wildly, refusing to stop until she felt her body begin to quiver and she succumbed to a massive orgasm and collapsed on the bed, her fingers stifling the screams in her throat as Dick continued to hammer into her.

"Don't stop." She moaned, her whole body electric. She managed to sit up and wrap her arms around his neck, her soft cries muffled by his chest as he continued to thrust into her from beneath. He felt teeth nip his neck as another powerful wave of pleasure hit her and she moaned in his ear again. Her blonde hair was silk against his skin and her nails dug up his back.

He hammered into her with ferocity and a shrill cry escaped her as he found her nipple and planted it between his teeth.

"Go, baby, go, go, go!" she moaned as the big one hit her and an earthquake of ecstasy rocked her to her core. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled over her and she thrust herself against him again and again, not stopping until his body tightened and she felt him explode inside her.

The two of them lie there, panting, sweating, and completely in love with each other. Two or three more passionate kisses were shared between the two before they rolled onto their respective sides of the bed and felt the cool air of the night caress them.

"I love you, Harley."

"I love you too, Bluebird."

Dick retrieved a small box from his jeans pocket, where he had left it. He showed it to Harley, then opened it, revealing a diamond engagement ring and Harley froze at the sight of it.

"You want to marry me, Harley?" Dick asked, smiling at her, the fire in his cobalt eyes burning at full force.

Was this real? She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't do anything. This was so unbelievably unbelievable. What was she doing? Did he ask yet?

Harley slowly looked from the ring up to him and nodded enthusiastically, a smile appearing on her face.

He slipped the ring on her hand and kissed her. She kissed him back and the two of them lie there, bathed in moonlight, blissfully trapped in their own private eternity.

Hours later, Harley stood at the balcony of Wayne Manor, staring out over the forest, wearing nothing but her engagement ring. The wind bit at her bare skin and tugged at her hair. She looked out over the future. The future she had wanted, bathed in the sun under a clear blue sky. She smiled and looked up into the night. The dark wasn't so bad, either.

The stars glimmered a little brighter on that warm night in Gotham. They glimmered for hope, for forgiveness, and most of all, they glimmered for love.


End file.
